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Major regional gateways including Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi were closed as countries shut their airspaces following United States and Israeli strikes on Iran and Iranian retaliation on Sunday.
Over 200 people are reported to have died in Iran, including its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Global Hub Advisory Partners co-founder and managing partner Pier Smulders, of Christchurch, has been in Dubai for several days for work and had planned to continue on to Europe.
Mr Smulders said personally he did not feel unsafe but was ‘‘certainly very uneasy’’, a sentiment he thought was echoed by other visitors to the region.
‘‘It's all of it, surreal.
‘‘Being in what is ostensibly a fully functioning, peaceful city and then regularly hearing loud bangs - whether from the intercepts or the impact of drones [or] missiles - it's hard to say.’’
Dubai’s international airport, which handles more than 1000 flights a day, sustained damage during a retaliatory attack on sites across the Gulf Arab states.
Abu Dhabi and Kuwait’s international airports were also hit.
‘‘A lot of the time is just spent in the hotel, doom-scrolling on X and getting all the latest updates with CNN on the TV in the background,’’ Mr Smulders said.
‘‘Everywhere in the hotels, you talk to people who have had their flights disrupted, luggage lost.
‘‘Some were just connecting through Dubai and had to leave the airport and find accommodation on their own.
‘‘I'd say everyone is ostensibly in good spirits; probably a bit of that stiff upper lip behaviour.’’
He said three of his flights out of the city had been cancelled and his ‘‘plan D’’ was to make a six-hour journey by bus to Muscat, Oman, where the airport still appeared to be operating.
‘‘Although of course it's anyone's guess if it will be by the middle of the week.’’
From there, he hoped to travel to Asia, then home to New Zealand.
‘‘I'm just one of many people stuck here.
‘‘There are many people - first responders and others - who are in a far worse position than I am.
‘‘I at least have the luxury of eventually finding a way out.’’
On Sunday, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defence reported Iran had fired 165 ballistic missiles on the UAE - 152 were shot down by air defences and 13 landed in the sea.
A further two cruise missiles were detected and destroyed.
The ministry also said Iran had launched 541 drones and UAE air defences intercepted 506 - 35 fell within the country's territory.
Three foreign nationals had been killed by drone damage and at least 58 received minor injuries, the ministry said.
Al Jazeera reported yesterday 219 people had been killed across the region and about 1000 more were injured - most of these in Iran.
