UAE flights see delays and cancellations at Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah as Air France extends suspension

Disruption overview

Travelers using Dubai International Airport, Zayed International Airport, and Sharjah International Airport on 10 September 2026 are seeing scattered delays and a small number of cancellations as airlines respond to a tense regional security situation. Emirates, Etihad Airways, flydubai, and Air Arabia are still operating most scheduled flights, but Air France has extended its full suspension of Paris-Dubai services until 15 September. Because the disruption is tied to armed conflict and airspace safety risks outside the airline's control, compensation under EC 261 is unlikely on affected EU flights. Even so, airlines should still provide care and assistance, including rerouting or refunds if your journey is disrupted.

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Disruption details

Passengers flying through Dubai International Airport, Zayed International Airport, and Sharjah International Airport on 10 September 2026 are facing scattered delays and a small number of cancellations, even though most flights in the UAE are still operating.

For passengers, this means extra uncertainty on the day of travel. Airlines and airports are urging people to keep checking flight status right up to departure, because schedules can change at short notice.

There hasn't been a blanket ground stop in the UAE. But the operating picture remains uneven because of a volatile regional security environment linked to the ongoing United States-Iran conflict and explosions reported earlier this week in Iran and Saudi Arabia.

The UAE's main carriers are still running most scheduled services. Emirates said its Dubai-Bahrain flights EK837 and EK839, along with Dubai-Kuwait flight EK857, were on time. Etihad Airways also said its Abu Dhabi-Bahrain services EY647, EY641, and EY645, plus EY553 to Kuwait, were operating normally.

At the same time, several flights and routes were showing disruption on 10 September:

• Etihad flight EY111 from Abu Dhabi to Barcelona diverted to Madrid after weather disrupted Barcelona operations on 9 September.

• Etihad flights EY473 from Jakarta to Abu Dhabi and EY400 from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok were running late.

• Air Arabia Abu Dhabi showed delays on 7 outbound services, including 3L763 to Tashkent and 3L714 to Tbilisi.

• Air Arabia canceled Sharjah-Kuwait flights G9068 and G9124, and Sharjah-Bahrain flight G9107.

• Dubai Airports also showed morning delays on flydubai flight FZ1211 to Tel Aviv and Emirates flight EK304 to Shanghai.

flydubai said its Kuwait and Bahrain schedules were still intact, but asked customers to arrive at Dubai International Airport at least 4 hours before departure because ad-hoc delays remain possible. Dubai Airports also said some holdups are linked to the regional conflict, while others stem from routine operational or technical issues.

The clearest longer-running cancellation comes from Air France. The airline has extended its full suspension of Paris-Dubai flights until 15 September while it reassesses the risk of flying through Iranian and Iraqi airspace.

Several other foreign carriers are also keeping restrictions in place. KLM, British Airways, Lufthansa Group airlines, Turkish Airlines, and Singapore Airlines continue partial or full suspensions on some Dubai and Abu Dhabi services into October or beyond.

Government travel advice reflects that instability. The United States still advises travelers to reconsider travel to the UAE and has ordered non-emergency staff to leave, while the UK, Australia, and Canada continue to warn that flight schedules could deteriorate quickly if the security situation worsens.

Because today's disruption is being driven mainly by armed conflict and related airspace risks outside the airline's control, compensation under EC 261 is unlikely on affected EU flights. Still, if your flight is delayed or canceled, your airline should provide care and assistance, including rebooking or refunds, food and refreshments during longer waits, and accommodation if you're delayed overnight.

Although compensation is unlikely here, that doesn't mean you're without support. Follow your airline's instructions, especially on check-in and boarding times. If you want to understand what might apply to your journey, you can use AirHelp's free flight checker to review your options.

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