Flight disruption throughout Dubai and the Middle East is continuous as a result of the US-Israel-Iran battle, which has prompted the closure and restriction of airspace throughout the area’s skies. While restricted operations have resumed at a few of the area’s key airports, together with Dubai International Airport, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, and Doha’s Hamad International Airport, flight schedules stay restricted and topic to alter. As a results of the ongoing disruption, a number of international airlines have adjusted their schedules, suspending routes to Dubai and components of the Middle East for months to come back.
While airspace in lots of components of the area stays closed or restricted, flights are working via managed aviation corridors. Emirates quickly suspended flights to and from DXB after a drone-related hearth broke out at the airport in the early hours of Monday, 16 March – however the airline has since resumed a restricted variety of flights.
In a 17 March interview with NCS, Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths stated that DXB has “facilitated the journeys of over a million passengers over the last 17 days” and that the airport is “back up to about 40-45 per cent of normal traffic movements”, a restoration price he credit to with the ability to detect and reply to threats in real-time.
Here’s what travellers with Middle East flights booked have to know proper now.
This article was up to date with the latest info on Friday, 20 March 2026
Which airlines are working in the Middle East?
All airlines with flights into airports in closed or restricted airspace are presently working with lowered and restricted schedules, together with routes headed for Dubai International Airport, Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport, Bahrain International Airport, Doha’s Hamad International Airport, Kuwait International Airport, Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.
Emirates: Emirates is again to working a “reduced flight schedule” after a quick pause in flights as a result of a drone-related hearth at DXB on 16 March. “If your travel plans have been affected, we’ll do our best to rebook you on the next available Emirates flight. This applies to most disrupted tickets, including journeys connecting beyond Dubai,” the airline said in the most recent update on its website.
Etihad Airways: Etihad is operating a limited schedule to 70 destinations, which is in place until 31 March. Tickets are now on sale via the Etihad website to several destinations across the globe, with additional destinations set to be added as “conditions permit”. Passengers with earlier bookings can be accommodated on these flights as quickly as doable. Passengers with Etihad flight tickets issued on or earlier than 28 February, for journey scheduled as much as 31 March, might change their reserving and not using a rebooking charge on Etihad-operated flights or request a full refund.
Qatar Airways: Qatar Airways is working a restricted variety of flights to and from Doha till 28 March, after Qatar Civil Aviation Authority authorised “limited operating corridors”. Flights cowl a variety of international departures and locations, together with Cairo, Casablanca, Miami, New York, Toronto, Frankfurt, Madrid, London, Bangkok, Beijing and Mumbai. For the full record of routes, see the Qatar Airways website. “These schedules have been enhanced to give more flexibility to passengers wishing to travel,” the airline stated.