I know a retired BA pilot. At the beginning of Gulf War one he operated a 767 towards Saudi. He had only 17 pax but also freight. As they approached the Egyptian coast he was told Saudi airspace had closed and what did he want to do? He deciede to head back to Athens on the basis that there would be other 757/767 crew there. Once he'd turned around he looked at his fuel etc. and realised he could get back to LHR so he did. They parked him on the stand next to the one he left from "never took so long to go such a short distance".
That was what he told me when I next saw him.