Middle East airspace closures disrupt flights; limited UAE operations resume

Widespread airspace restrictions across the Middle East are disrupting commercial flights, with the UAE enabling controlled repatriation services and limited operations at Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports. Multiple airlines have suspended or reduced services, issued rebooking options, and rerouted flights to avoid closed airspace. Countries with closures or partial restrictions include the UAE, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. Travelers should expect cancellations, schedule changes, longer flight times, and occasional technical fuel stops while airlines manage reroutes and special operations.

Commercial aviation across the Middle East is experiencing significant disruption due to widespread airspace restrictions. Authorities report closures and constraints affecting the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iran, Israel, and Iraq, with Saudi Arabia operating under partial restrictions.

Within the UAE, controlled emergency corridors have enabled repatriation flights since early March. A total of 60 such flights have transported 17,498 passengers since March 1. Limited commercial services have begun to resume at Dubai International (DXB), Dubai World Central (DWC), and Zayed International Airport (AUH). Passengers are advised to wait for direct airline confirmation before traveling to the airport. Alternative transport is in place for some travelers: Oman Air and SalamAir are running bus transfers between Sharjah and Muscat, with SalamAir confirming transfer windows on March 5.

Airlines have adjusted schedules and policies as the situation evolves:
- Emirates plans limited departures from Friday, March 13, prioritizing existing bookings and repatriation. Transit passengers should travel only with confirmed onward connections.
- Etihad is operating a small number of flights for stranded passengers while its standard schedule remains grounded until at least 6 a.m. on Friday, March 6. Fee-free rebooking is available for tickets issued on or before February 28 for travel through March 10, with rebooking permitted until March 31.
- Qatar Airways remains suspended pending a safety review of Qatari airspace, with an update due at 9 a.m. Doha time on March 6.
- flydubai resumed limited operations from DXB Terminals 2 and 3 on March 3; passengers should await confirmation before heading to the airport.
- Air Arabia services to and from the UAE are suspended until 3 p.m. local time on Monday, March 9, with potential limited flights subject to safety approval.
- British Airways offers free rebooking for flights between London Heathrow and Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, or Tel Aviv through March 15, and full refunds for travel through March 8.
- Gulf Air remains suspended while Bahraini airspace is closed; an update was scheduled by 11 a.m. Bahrain time on March 5.
- Lufthansa has suspended flights to/from Dubai until March 6 and to Tel Aviv, Beirut, and Tehran until at least March 8. Repatriation flights from Muscat to Frankfurt are being arranged.
- Virgin Atlantic has resumed London–Dubai and London–Riyadh services with reroutes around closed airspace, noting longer flight times.
- Air India has suspended most Middle East routes except Jeddah, offering fee-free rescheduling and refunds for bookings dated February 28 to March 10.
- KLM anticipates disruptions to Tel Aviv, Dubai, Riyadh, and Dammam through at least Friday, March 6.
- SalamAir is operating flights from Fujairah to Muscat with onward connections on March 4 and 5.
- Kuwait Airways has suspended operations at Kuwait International Airport; Kuwaiti citizens are being repatriated via Jeddah with completion by land to Kuwait. Registration remains open through March 6.
- Air Canada will suspend Dubai and Tel Aviv services until March 22.

Travelers should expect cancellations, schedule changes even when flights resume, longer routings, and occasional unscheduled technical fuel stops—particularly on certain carriers. Airline refund and rebooking policies vary by carrier and route.