Paddy the Baddy in desperate cry to help get stranded family home after foreign office warning

Middle East airspace has been shut amid conflict in the region and mixed martial artist Paddy Pimblett ended up stuck thousands of miles from home

UFC star Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett put out a plea on Friday for help getting his family home from The Maldives. Flights travelling through Middle East airspace have been cancelled amid war in the region, and this appears to have been affecting those currently in different parts of the world.

Close to 10,000 flights had been cancelled by Wednesday alone, with British nationals in Oman, the UAE and other tourist destinations among those impacted. While the Maldives is thousands of miles away, carriers to and from the island nation will often pass through Middle East hubs including Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

“Can anyone help me and my family get home from the Maldives?” Pimblett asked on Instagram Stories. “Stuck here stranded at the minute every flight we book keeps getting cancelled.”

He also tagged four airlines’ official accounts: Emirates, Etihad, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. The fighter has been on holiday with wife Laura and their twin daughters and had posted happier photos before war interrupted the trip.

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Tagging the Siyam World resort on one post, he wrote: “Sunset cruise… unbelievable view of the sunset and even had dolphins swimming along side the boat… once in a lifetime stuff… then some sharks under us when we was getting off the boat.”

The family headed to The Maldives in February after a few days in Oman. The day before putting out his appeal regarding cancelled flights, he had spoken of having “Made some new friends for life on this amazing island”.

On Thursday, the UK foreign office issued a travel warning for the island nation. “Recent developments in the Middle East have led to airspace restrictions and widespread disruption to international flight schedules, including delays, cancellations, and rerouting,” it read.

“These disruptions may affect your travel plans even if your journey does not transit the Middle East. This includes travel to and from the Maldives.”

The statement continued: “Large numbers of flights that transit Middle Eastern airspace have been cancelled, rerouted, or significantly delayed.This may impact connections to and from the Maldives.”

Travellers were urged to contact their airlines for further information on the matter and check to see what is covered in their travel insurance. Conflict in the Middle East involving Iran, the United States and Israel has led to significant closures, with the UAE – one of the countries used by multiple airlines as a hub for connections – impacted to the point that Brits in Dubai have been urged to stay indoors.