Limited Flights Resume in UAE
A small number of flights have started leaving the United Arab Emirates, offering some relief after days of mass cancellations triggered by the joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Across the Middle East, more than 11,000 flights have been cancelled since Saturday, according to aviation data firm Cirium, while flight tracker Flightradar24 reported over 4,000 daily cancellations at the height of the disruption. The impact has left hundreds of thousands of passengers stuck and scrambling for alternatives.
On Monday, Dubai’s airport authority said a “small number” of flights would operate from Dubai International Airport and Dubai World Central. Travelers were warned not to head to the airport unless their airline contacted them directly with a confirmed departure time.
Dubai-based Emirates said it would resume a “limited” number of flights Monday evening, prioritizing passengers whose earlier bookings had been cancelled. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways said regular commercial services would stay suspended until Wednesday, though some “repositioning, cargo and repatriation flights” could operate with approval.
At least 16 Etihad flights departed Abu Dhabi on Monday to cities including London, Amsterdam, Moscow and Riyadh, according to Flightradar24. Two Emirates flights leaving Dubai landed in Mumbai and Chennai early Tuesday. But the situation remains fluid, several inbound flights were diverted or turned back mid-journey as airspace closures continued.
Large parts of the region have effectively shut down their skies. Iraq, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain all closed their airspace amid the escalating conflict and Iran’s retaliatory strikes. As of Monday morning, 79% of flights to Qatar and 71% to the UAE were cancelled, with even higher percentages for Israel and Bahrain.
Ian Petchenik, director of communications at Flightradar24, warned that the disruption "will only increase the longer the crisis continues" and said it "will have enormous repercussions for the industry."
Governments are now weighing evacuation plans. Germany has announced charter flights to Saudi Arabia and Oman for vulnerable citizens. The UK government said more than 100,000 Britons in the region have registered their presence, and officials are working with airlines and local authorities to help people return home.
The ripple effects are being felt worldwide. Paul Charles of the PC Agency said aircraft are stranded far from the Middle East because they cannot return. Tony Stanton, consultant director at Strategic Air, said, “An Iran-conflict-driven disruption is typically more geographically concentrated, but it can still be severe, because it affects some of the world’s most important east-west corridors and creates rapid knock-on effects.”
He added that if the fighting drags on, airline route networks could be reshaped for the long term, with some services suspended indefinitely and traffic shifting to hubs seen as safer.
For now, airlines are urging passengers to monitor updates online and avoid airports unless directly notified that they can go. With regional airspace still unstable, travel across the Middle East remains uncertain.
