Emirates airline and Etihad Airways have extended cancellations on flights between the UAE and Bahrain and Kuwait owing to regional tensions, while Qatar Airways is preparing to resume services to both destinations from August 8.
“Etihad Airways flights between Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport and Bahrain International Airport have been cancelled due to operational reasons,” the airline said on its website. “The safety and comfort of our guests and crew is our number-one priority. We apologise for the inconvenience to your travel plans.”
Etihad flights EY653 and EY654 between Abu Dhabi and Kuwait International Airport have also been cancelled owing to “operational reasons”.
Emirates services between Dubai and Bahrain and Kuwait are suspended until at least August 6. The airline's three daily Bahrain flights – EK835, EK837 and EK839 – are all cancelled, along with its four daily Kuwait services – EK853, EK855, EK857 and EK859.
No Emirates flights to either destination are currently listed from August 7 onwards, either. A disclaimer on the airline's website states: “Please be aware that we can only show the services offered on Emirates-operated flights. For any connecting flights operated by codeshare airlines, please refer to their website.”
Fellow UAE carriers flydubai and Air Arabia continue to operate services to Bahrain and Kuwait, although some flights are subject to cancellation.
From Kuwait, Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways continue to operate multiple daily services to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, while Bahrain's Gulf Air maintains flights to both the UAE cities.
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways has announced that it will resume daily services to Kuwait, Bahrain and Erbil from August 8. The airline continues to operate flights between Doha and the UAE, serving Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
The disruption is not limited to UAE airlines. While hopes of de-escalation have grown, the US and Iran continue to exchange threats after months of attacks. International carriers have continued to adjust schedules because of airspace restrictions and operational uncertainty across the region.
British Airways has postponed the resumption of flights to Dubai, Bahrain and Amman until October 25, while continuing to operate a reduced schedule to Doha and Riyadh. KLM has suspended services to Dubai, Riyadh and Dammam until August 23 as it continues to avoid flying through the airspace of Iran, Iraq, Israel and parts of the Arabian Gulf. Lufthansa Group airlines, including Lufthansa and Swiss, have also adjusted schedules to several Middle East destinations in recent weeks, while Air France has temporarily suspended flights to Saudi Arabia.
Airlines have referred to security concerns, airspace restrictions and operational uncertainty as they continue to review their schedules.
