The ongoing conflict in Iran has led to mass flight delays and cancellations, disrupting the travel plans of thousands of passengers.
Following US and Israeli attacks on Iran launched on February 28, Gulf states including the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iran, Israel, and Iraq introduced full or partial airspace closures and temporary flight restrictions. Flights have since begun to gradually resume through controlled aviation corridors in parts of the Middle East, with limited departures available from Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi.
For travelers stranded in Doha, Qatar Airways has announced a limited flight schedule running from March 10 to March 12 with destinations including Cairo (CAI), London (LHR), Istanbul (IST), Mumbai (BOM), Madrid (MAD), Frankfurt (FRA), Milan (MXP), and Moscow (SVO).
Passengers will be contacted directly by their airlines if they have been rebooked onto confirmed flights. The UAE’s major airlines, Emirates and Etihad, are now operating with a limited schedule, with more routes expected to be added over the coming days. Here’s what travelers throughout the region need to know.
This article was last updated on March 9, 2026.
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When will flights resume?
Flights continue to be disrupted at 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. Airlines are advising passengers to only travel to the airport if you are contacted directly by your carrier with a confirmed flight booking.
Emirates: Emirates is now operating a limited flight schedule, with flights bookable to 75 destinations. These flights will run in addition to the limited number of repatriation and cargo flights already operating, which continue to give priority to customers with existing bookings. The airline says it expects to resume flights to 100% of its network in the coming days, subject to the situation. Passengers should not travel to the airport unless contacted directly by Emirates or holding a confirmed booking on an operating flight. Transit passengers will not be accepted unless it has been confirmed that their onward flight is operating. The airline says it is monitoring the situation closely and will update schedules accordingly.
Etihad Airways: Etihad has resumed operating with a limited schedule to 70 destinations that is in place until March 19. 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. These flights will run in addition to special repatriation flights for stranded passengers. Passengers with Etihad flight tickets issued on or before February 28, 2026 for travel scheduled up to March 10, 2026 may change their booking without a rebooking fee on Etihad-operated flights departing up to March 31, 2026.
