Emirates confirmed flights to and from Dubai would resume following a temporary suspension on Saturday morning.
Aviation authorities in the UAE had previously announced the start of “exceptional” flight operations in the UAE, with Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah airports operating a limited number of commercial flights.
The move was to aid “stranded passengers affected by recent regional developments to depart, in line with the schedules to be announced by airlines to affected passengers and the relevant destinations”, according to the General Civil Aviation Authority.
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UAE airlines Etihad Airways, Emirates airline, flydubai and Air Arabia have since announced a series of updates for passengers, with a gradual reintroduction of flights following the complete closure of the country's airspace.
All airlines recommend that passengers should not travel to an airport unless they are notified directly.
Here are the latest updates from UAE airlines regarding commercial passenger flights.
Etihad Airways
Etihad resumed a limited number of commercial flights from the morning of March 6, operating between Abu Dhabi and several key destinations.
In a statement posted on X, the airline confirmed that passengers with a previous booking will be accommodated as soon as possible, while tickets are also on sale now.
Between March 6 and March 19, the airline is scheduled to operate to and from the following 25 destinations:
- Ahmedabad
- Bangkok
- Bengaluru
- Cairo
- Colombo
- Delhi
- Frankfurt
- Hanoi
- Hyderabad
- Jeddah
- Kuala Lumpur
- London (Heathrow)
- Madrid
- Male
- Milan (Malpensa)
- Moscow (Sheremetyevo)
- Mumbai
- New York (JFK)
- Paris
- Phuket
- Riyadh
- Rome
- Seoul (Incheon)
- Toronto
- Zurich
The airline has also shared a detailed schedule for flights to and from Abu Dhabi on March 9 and 10.
The airline says all services remain subject to operational approvals and may be adjusted depending on regional airspace conditions.
The post also urges passengers not to travel to the airport unless they have been contacted by Etihad directly or hold a confirmed booking on new flights.
The airline's most recent guidance advises passengers to:
- Check their flight status at etihad.com before travelling to the airport.
- Ensure their contact details are up to date in their booking.
- Guests holding Etihad tickets issued on or before February 28, with original travel dates up to March 21, may rebook Etihad-operated flights free of charge up to May 15.
- Guests on all Etihad flights until March 21 may request a refund at etihad.com/en/help/refund-form or through their travel agent.
- Guests who booked through a travel agent should contact their agent directly.
Emirates airline
Dubai airline Emirates is currently operating a reduced flight schedule following the partial reopening of regional airspace.
“Customers can check the flight schedule for upcoming flights, as well as book seats to travel via emirat.es/nowoperating. Emirates continues to monitor the situation and we will develop our operational schedule accordingly.”
A previous update stated that Emirates carried about 30,000 passengers out of Dubai on March 5.
Since March 5, the airline has run more than 200 flights daily. On March 8, the airline operated 284 flights, according to Flight Radar data. Before February 28, the airline operated more than 500 flights a day.
Passengers are advised to check the latest updates on emirat.es/flightstatus and monitor their email for any notifications about changes or cancellations before travelling to the airport.
The most recent Emirates support statement reads: “Customers booked to travel between February 28 until and including March 31 can rebook on another flight to your intended destination for travel on or before April 30 … [or] you can request for a refund of your ticket by completing the refund form if you booked with us directly.”
Flydubai
Flydubai flights in and out of Dubai have resumed. Since March 5, the airline has been increasing operations; on March 8, the airline ran 196 flights according to Flight Radar data, compared to an average of 350 daily flights before February 28.
The airline urges passengers not to head to the airport unless they have a booking confirmation and to check flight status updates. “We continue to co-ordinate with our stakeholders and monitor the situation closely,” it said.
Air Arabia
Air Arabia said it has begun operating a limited number of flights to and from the UAE, with 109 flights on March 7 and 127 flights on March 8.
Passengers can book available flights through the airline’s website, mobile app or travel agents. Customers whose flights were previously cancelled may also rebook, provided they have not already used their modification or refund option.
The airline said limited services operated between Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah and several international destinations on March 6 and 7.
Passengers whose flights remain cancelled will be notified by the airline and offered options including a free date change within 15 days, a full credit voucher or a full refund to the original form of payment.
