On Monday, several global airlines tentatively restarted a limited number of flights from the Emirates, providing some respite for travelers affected by the airspace restrictions in the Middle East stemming from the conflict involving the US-Israel and Iran.
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Resumption of Flights Announced
Long-distance airlines Etihad Airways and Emirates, located in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, along with the low-cost airline Flydubai, announced they would resume certain flights from the nation, where air travel was halted on Saturday.
The government of Dubai advised travelers to go to the airports only if they received direct communication, stating that this would mark a “limited resumption of services.” According to FlightAware, over 80% of the flights scheduled to and from Dubai and more than half of those to and from Abu Dhabi were still cancelled.
On Monday, Flightradar24 reported on X that over 2,000 flights were cancelled to and from seven major airports in the Gulf region, including Dubai International, Hamad International Airport in Doha, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah International Airport, Kuwait International Airport, Bahrain International Airport, and Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International.
Impact of Airspace Restrictions
Initial flights from Etihad and Emirates have departed
On Monday, at least 15 Etihad flights departed from Abu Dhabi’s airport to assist passengers who had been stranded there, as reported by the aviation website Flightradar24. These flights were directed to various locations, such as Islamabad, Paris, Amsterdam, Mumbai, Cairo, and London Heathrow. However, regular commercial flights continued to be suspended.
“Certain repositioning, cargo, and repatriation flights may be conducted in collaboration with UAE authorities and will require stringent operational and safety clearances,” Etihad announced via social media. The airline has confirmed that regular commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi will remain halted until 2 pm local time on Wednesday, March 4.
Travel Advisory for Passengers
On Monday evening, Emirates commenced a limited schedule of flights. “We are prioritizing customers with existing bookings, and those who have been rebooked onto these limited flights will receive direct communication from Emirates,” the airline announced. Dubai Airports verified the resumption of services, allowing a small number of flights to operate from both Dubai International and Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International.
The Emirates flight UAE500 bound for Mumbai departed from Dubai at 6:15 pm CET, followed closely by Emirates flight UAE542 heading to Chennai, as reported by Euronews journalists using Flightradar24 for tracking.
As Emirates flights were departing, two Flydubai flights were nearing Dubai airport and entered a holding pattern, circling above the Gulf. Simultaneously, two Etihad flights were on their way to land in Abu Dhabi after several flights had taken off from the airport on Monday afternoon, marking the first such activity since the onset of the Iran war.
Airlines Involved in Restart
On Monday, Emirates flight UAE500 departed from Dubai International, capturing the attention of over 138,000 viewers on Flightradar24. According to the site, “This marks Emirates’ first takeoff from Dubai since 12:19 local time on February 28.”
In a statement, Flydubai announced that it would run four flights leaving the city and an additional five incoming flights on Monday. “We are actively collaborating with the appropriate authorities and stakeholders to facilitate a smooth and gradual return to service,” it stated. “The situation is fluid, and we are diligently monitoring it to adjust our schedule as needed.”
As air travel remains significantly restricted across the Middle East, the conflict that erupted on Saturday has left hundreds of thousands of travelers stranded in various nations. Tourists, business professionals, and religious pilgrims unexpectedly found themselves confined to hotels, airports, and cruise ships.
Dubai International Airport, Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport, and Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, serve as key transit points for journeys connecting Europe, Africa, and Asia. Over the weekend, all three airports experienced direct impacts from Iranian missile strikes. Consequently, not only were individuals planning to travel to or from the area affected, but those on multi-leg flights passing through also found themselves stranded.
All flight operations at Hamad International Airport are currently halted due to the temporary closure of Qatari airspace. Qatar Airways, the national airline, will restart its services once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority confirms the safe reopening of the airspace. The airline has indicated that an additional update will be shared on Tuesday by 9 am local time (7 am CET).
Travelers whose flights were disrupted gathered at the departure area of Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, on Saturday, February 28, 2026. Photo by Hassan Ammar/Copyright 2026 The AP. All rights reserved.
Which carriers are impacted?
British Airways has suspended flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until 4 March, with several other routes to the Middle East also cancelled. The airline announced that passengers scheduled to fly from London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, or Tel Aviv up to and including 15 March can change their flights at no extra cost to travel on or before 29 March. Additionally, customers flying up to and including 8 March can request a complete refund.
The Lufthansa Group, which encompasses airlines such as Lufthansa, SWISS International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, and Eurowings, has halted flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil, Dammam, and Tehran until 8 March. Furthermore, flights to and from Dubai are also suspended by Lufthansa Group airlines until 4 March.
Finnair has halted its daily services to Dubai and Doha until March 6, while Norwegian has paused its flights to and from Dubai until and including March 4. “We will evaluate the possibility of resuming flights afterward,” stated the low-cost airline.
Delta Air Lines has halted its flights from New York to Tel Aviv until March 8, while American Airlines has put its Doha-Philadelphia routes on “temporary hold”.
Air Canada has announced that all flights to and from Dubai and Tel Aviv are presently halted, with plans to resume on 23 March.
Air India has prolonged the halt 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 national airline of Indonesia, has announced a temporary halt to its flights to and from Doha “until further notice,” according to a statement released by the company on Sunday.
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