Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, and other Emirati carriers announced late on Monday the partial resumption of select services, primarily aimed at repatriating passengers stranded in the UAE.
A limited number of flights are cautiously resuming in Middle Eastern skies, with UAE operations focused largely on repatriation. Hundreds of thousands of passengers remain stranded abroad as the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran continues to disrupt regional airspace. Missile and drone attacks have led to widespread airspace closures across the region.
The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that “special flights” will operate from airports across the country. These include services from Dubai International Airport (DXB), which sustained minor infrastructure damage following an Iranian missile strike on Saturday that injured several workers, and from Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC). A separate strike on Zayed International Airport (AUH) in Abu Dhabi resulted in one fatality and seven injuries.
بدء تشغيل رحلات استثنائية بمطارات الدولة.
— الهيئة العامة للطيران المدني (@gcaauae) March 2, 2026
يرجى عدم التوجه للمطار إلا بعد تواصل شركة الطيران معكم وتأكيد موعد رحلتكم لضمان انسيابية الإجراءات.
Exceptional flights are now operating at UAE airports.
Do not proceed to the airport until your airline contacts you with confirmed… pic.twitter.com/AVv8mMqVcc
Not only is Dubai a major regional hub, but it is also one of the busiest transit airports in the world. Its temporary closure has severely disrupted global connectivity. In 2025, DXB handled close to 100 million passengers.
flydubai has announced that four outbound flights to Russia and Kazakhstan will depart from DXB on Tuesday, while three aircraft will return to Dubai from Pakistan and Hargeisa in Somaliland. The airline said it was working closely with the relevant authorities and stakeholders to ensure an efficient and gradual return to operations, adding that the situation was still evolving and that it was monitoring it closely and amending its schedule accordingly.
Authorities urged passengers to travel to the airport only if they had been contacted directly by their airline. On Monday, more than 80% of flights to and from Dubai were cancelled, as were over half of the scheduled services in Abu Dhabi.
Emirates and flydubai announce the resumption of a limited number of flights starting today, 2 March 2026. pic.twitter.com/3CQ47BEKjc
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) March 2, 2026
Emirates operated a limited number of flights on Monday. Its first service since 28 February was tracked by over 138,000 users on FlightRadar24. The airline stated that it was prioritising customers with earlier bookings and that passengers who had been rebooked would be contacted directly. Initial destinations included Mumbai and Chennai.
Etihad Airways, which is based in Abu Dhabi and was also hit by Iranian missiles, told Reuters that “some repositioning, cargo and repatriation flights may operate in coordination with UAE authorities and subject to strict operational and safety approvals”. However, all commercial services to and from Abu Dhabi remained suspended.
Daily airport movements (take-offs or landings) at Dubai International Airport pic.twitter.com/ubl0vds5AC
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 3, 2026
Fifteen flights departed from Abu Dhabi on Monday, including services to Islamabad, Paris, Amsterdam, Mumbai, Cairo, and London Heathrow. It was not immediately clear which of these were repatriation services.
According to Flightradar24, around 2,000 flights were cancelled on Monday across seven major regional hubs: Dubai International Airport, Hamad International Airport in Doha, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah International Airport, Kuwait International Airport, Bahrain International Airport, and Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport.
Five Emirates aircraft departed Dubai this morning — all A380s — bound for Jeddah, Manchester, Paris, London, and Frankfurt. pic.twitter.com/LUV0YB1uA7
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 3, 2026
Lufthansa operated a standard positioning flight from Abu Dhabi carrying only two pilots. The airline said it was relocating the aircraft to safety, but that conditions were too unstable to transport passengers, so it extended the suspension of its passenger services to the UAE until 4 March.
Reports suggest that Ben Gurion Airport has partially reopened to allow limited El Al repatriation flights to Israel, but international carriers are steering clear.
As the airspace over Iran, Iraq, and Israel remains largely closed, most other international carriers have extended the suspension of their services to Middle Eastern destinations as they await further clarity.
The situation remains fluid and changes daily. Travellers currently stranded abroad can consult our previous airline-by-airline update for guidance on next steps and how to access passenger assistance.
