Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports will operate a limited number of flights, according to statements from Emirates and Etihad, following the complete closure of airspace at the weekend.
Both airports suffered damage during Iranian strikes, largely from debris falling from intercepted drones. One person died at Zayed International Airport.
“Emirates will begin operating a limited number of flights commencing on the evening of March 2,” the airline said.
“We are accommodating customers with earlier bookings as a priority, and those who have been rebooked to travel on these limited flights will be contacted directly by Emirates.
Please do not go to the airport unless you have been notified. All other flights remain suspended until further notice. Updates will be published on http://emirates.com and our official social media channels.”
Flydubai announced a limited number of services from Dubai to Moscow, Kazan, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk to allow people to return home.
A limited number of inbound flights from the Pakistani cities of Islamabad, Multan and Sialkot will run, in addition to Hargeisa in Somaliland.
FlightRadar24 data showed that 15 Etihad Airways flights had taken off from Zayed International Airport as of late afternoon on Monday. These were to destinations in Europe and Asia, namely London, Amsterdam, Paris, Moscow, Karachi, Mumbai, Islamabad and Delhi.
Etihad stressed that services from Abu Dhabi would be limited for now. A statement sent to The National said: “All scheduled commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi remain cancelled.
“Some repositioning, cargo and repatriation flights may operate in co-ordination with UAE authorities and subject to strict operational and safety approvals. Safety remains our absolute priority and services will operate only once all safety criteria are met.”
At least 20,000 passengers, many of them on transit flights, are housed in hotels due to the closures. It is estimated that tens of thousands more holidaymakers are in the Emirates awaiting flights home.
Of the 3,779 flights scheduled to operate to the Middle East by global airlines, 1,560 were cancelled, or 41 per cent of the total, according to the latest update by aviation data company Cirium on Monday.
High insurance premiums
The unprecedented closure of the three major airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha have created major travel disruption and sent shock waves across the global aviation sector.
The higher oil prices will result in higher fuel costs for airlines as they reroute away from the Middle East air corridor.
Each additional flight hour on a wide-body plane adds significant fuel, crew and maintenance costs and reduces aircraft utilisation, aviation analyst Linus Bauer said.
On top of that, insurance and war-risk premiums are likely to rise.
“Escalation in the region typically triggers higher war-risk surcharges, tighter coverage terms and increased deductibles,” he said. This can materially increase marginal costs for flights operating near the conflict zone.”
