After more than 48 hours of total shutdown, Dubai Airports has announced that a limited number of flights will begin operating. Just after 6 p.m. on Monday, March 2, Dubai Airports, the authority that oversees both Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International (DWC), confirmed that a “small number of flights” would be permitted to operate.
Both airports were forced to ground all flights on Saturday, February 28, when the UAE closed its airspace after the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran, resulting in several retaliatory strikes at countries across the Gulf, including the UAE.
The closures left thousands of passengers stranded in Dubai, as authorities worked to find temporary accommodation for transit passengers and those with departing flights booked. As flights slowly resume, travelers are still being advised not to proceed to either DXB or DWC unless they have been contacted directly by their airline with a pre-confirmed departure time.
In a statement, Emirates said: “Emirates will begin operating a limited number of flights from the evening of March 2. Priority is being given to passengers with earlier bookings.”
Despite the resumption of a limited number of flights on Monday evening, airlines, including Emirates and Flydubai, confirmed earlier in the day that regular flights would remain grounded until at least 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3. Passengers with planned travel over the coming days should continue to monitor the situation closely, contact the airline or booking travel agent directly for updates on their flight status, and check their email for any notifications about changes or cancellations to their flights before traveling to the airport.
It comes after the UAE’s National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority put out a statement on Instagram on Monday afternoon reading: “Carry out your usual activities while exercising caution and care, and follow instructions and news from official sources.” It reassured that: “Monitoring remains continuous, and all measures in place are focused on protecting the community and maintaining the highest levels of preparedness.” Previous advice had urged all residents and citizens to “shelter in place.”
Passengers who have not been contacted by airlines yet about their flights should continue to monitor the situation and not go to the airport. Several apartment rental platforms and hotels are offering free accommodation to stranded travelers, alongside a handful of Dubai residents. You can find more information about what passengers stranded in the UAE right now should do here.
A version of this story originally appeared on Condé Nast Traveller Middle East.
