Middle East flights: First departures bring slight relief amid global aviation turmoil
The skies over the Middle East began to clear, albeit slightly, as several international airlines cautiously resumed a small number of flights from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday and Tuesday. This development offered a glimmer of hope for travelers caught in the crossfire of Middle East airspace closures due to the escalating conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran. The long-haul carriers Etihad Airways and Emirates, based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and the budget carrier Flydubai, were among the first to take to the skies from the UAE, where air traffic had been suspended since Saturday.
Dubai's government issued a cautious advisory, urging passengers to head to airports only if they were contacted directly, as the resumption of operations would be limited. Despite this, more than 80% of flights scheduled to and from Dubai and over half of the flights to and from Abu Dhabi remained canceled, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website. The situation was equally dire at other key airports in the Gulf region, with over 2,000 flights canceled to and from seven major airports, including Dubai International, Hamad International in Doha, Zayed International in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah International, Kuwait International, Bahrain International, and Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International, as reported by Flightradar24 on X.
The first Etihad and Emirates planes took off, with Etihad operating at least 15 flights from Abu Dhabi's airport on Monday to evacuate stranded passengers. These flights headed to various destinations, including Islamabad, Paris, Amsterdam, Mumbai, Cairo, and London Heathrow. However, regular commercial flights remained canceled. Etihad's social media statement noted that some repositioning, cargo, and repatriation flights might operate in coordination with UAE authorities, subject to strict operational and safety approvals. The airline confirmed that scheduled commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi would remain suspended until 2 pm local time on Wednesday, March 4.
Emirates, too, began operating a limited number of flights on Monday evening, prioritizing customers with earlier bookings. The airline assured that those rebooked to travel on these limited flights would be contacted directly. Dubai Airports confirmed the resumption of operations with a small number of flights permitted to operate from Dubai International and Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International. Emirates flight UAE500 to Mumbai took off from Dubai at 6:15 pm CET, followed by Emirates flight UAE542 to Chennai, as monitored by Euronews journalists on Flightradar24.
While Emirates flights were taking off, two Flydubai flights were approaching Dubai airport and entered a holding pattern, circling over the Gulf. Simultaneously, two Etihad flights were approaching Abu Dhabi to land after several flights took off from the airport on Monday afternoon, marking the first time since the Iran war's outbreak. When Emirates flight UAE500 took off from Dubai International on Monday, it was tracked by over 138,000 people on Flightradar24, highlighting the heightened interest and relief in the region.
On Tuesday morning, five Emirates A380 aircraft departed Dubai, bound for Jeddah, Manchester, Paris, London, and Frankfurt. In a statement, Flydubai announced it would operate four flights departing the city and another five arriving planes on Monday, emphasizing its close collaboration with authorities and stakeholders to ensure a gradual return to operations. The situation remains dynamic, and Flydubai continues to closely monitor and adjust its schedule accordingly.
The conflict, which began on Saturday, has severely limited air travel throughout the Middle East, stranding hundreds of thousands of travelers in multiple countries. Tourists, business travelers, and religious pilgrims found themselves unexpectedly stuck in hotels, airports, and on cruise ships. Dubai International Airport, Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport, and Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, are crucial hubs for travel between Europe, Africa, and Asia. These airports were directly hit by Iranian strikes over the weekend, affecting not only those planning to head to or from the region but also travelers passing through on multi-leg flights.
The Qatari airspace remains closed, with all aircraft movements at Hamad International Airport suspended. Qatar Airways, the country's flag carrier, will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace. The airline has announced a further update for Wednesday at 9 am local time (7 am CET).
Indian airlines, on Tuesday, announced the resumption of limited commercial services to the Middle East to repatriate thousands of passengers stranded by the war. Millions of South Asian citizens live and work across the Middle East. IndiGo, for instance, said it would operate four return flights to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia as part of efforts to 'progressively normalize' operations between the countries.
Air India Express and Akasa Air have also resumed flights to and from certain destinations, while Saudia and Oman Air have canceled flights to and from various Middle Eastern cities until March 4. Low-cost carrier Wizz Air has suspended all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Amman, and Saudi Arabia until March 7. Turkish Airlines has canceled flights to and from Bahrain, Dammam, Riyadh, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Syria, and the UAE. Air France has canceled its scheduled flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai, and Riyadh until March 5.
Dutch airline KLM is currently not flying through the airspace of Iran, Iraq, and Israel, nor over several countries in the Gulf region. Flights to, from, or via destinations in the region are canceled or adjusted. KLM's Tel Aviv flights are suspended for the remainder of its winter season operations; flights to and from Dubai are suspended until March 5; and flights to and from Dammam and Riyadh are also suspended until March 5. British Airways has suspended flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until March 4 and canceled numerous flights to the Middle East. The airline offers flexibility to passengers due to travel between London Heathrow and Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, or Tel Aviv up to March 15, allowing them to change their flight to travel on or before March 29 for free.
Lufthansa Group airlines, including Lufthansa, SWISS International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, and Eurowings, have suspended flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil, Dammam, and Tehran until March 8. Additionally, Lufthansa Group airlines have suspended flights to and from Dubai until March 4. Finnair has suspended daily flights to Dubai and Doha until March 6, while Norwegian is suspending its flights to and from Dubai up to and including March 4, with plans to reassess the possibility of resuming flights.
Delta Air Lines has canceled flights from New York to Tel Aviv until March 8, while American Airlines has temporarily suspended its Doha-Philadelphia flights. Air Canada has announced that all flights to and from Dubai and Tel Aviv are currently suspended and will restart on March 23. Air India has extended the suspension of all flights to and from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Qatar until 11:59 pm local time (7:29 pm CET) on March 2, 2026.
Garuda Indonesia, the country's flag carrier, temporarily suspended flights to and from Doha 'until further notice,' the company stated on Sunday.
