Family 'unnerved' after seeing Iranian missile attack

"I didn't know if we would end up sitting in a war zone," said Katherine Miles

A family of six paid almost £4,000 to get home to the UK after the recent Iranian drone and missile strike on Israel.

Katherine Miles and her family, from Cambridge, had been in Jordan on a two-week holiday.

They were due to return home on 13 April but they had to leave the airport when their flight was cancelled - and they witnessed what appeared to be drones and missiles launched from Iran at Israel.

Ms Miles said they were lucky to be able to afford an alternative flight home.

'Unnerving'

She told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire they had been due to fly at about 22:35 EEST (20:35 BST) on 13 April.

At 22:00 EEST they learned their flight was cancelled due to an airspace closure related to the drone and missile fire.

The family were flying with Wizz Air, which said the next available flight they could rebook on was on 23 April.

Ms Miles said: "At the time, one of the most challenging things was not knowing when the airport would reopen of if Israel would retaliate.

"I didn't know if we would end up sitting in a war zone."

Ms Miles said they could see drones or missiles exploding in the sky above them

When Ms Miles, her husband and their four children, aged 17, 15, 11 and nine, left the airport, they reported seeing the drones and missiles overhead - an experience she described as "unnerving".

The family were given hotel accommodation through Wizz Air, which also covered their transport and food costs.

"We wanted to get home as soon as we could, so we booked a flight home with a different airline because Wizz was fully booked until 23 April," she said.

"We landed home on 16 April, but the flight cost £3,985.

"I feel lucky that we could use savings to afford it. Other families are still waiting."

The family had been visiting friends as the Easter holidays coincided with the Eid al-Fitr holidays in Jordan.

Ms Miles said Wizz Air had reimbursed the cost of the original flights, but they had been left about £3,000 out of pocket.

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A Wizz Air spokesperson told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: “The health and safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority and in this instance the flight was cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control.

"All passengers were provided with transportation [and] hotel accommodation, and we have been in touch to outline their rights and options for forward travel including rebooking or requesting a refund.

"The customer has now been provided with a cash refund which covered the difference between flight prices and any costs associated with meals, transport and accommodation while waiting for the flight.

"This was a very unfortunate situation but regretfully something outside of Wizz Air's control."