Conflict forces Emirates to extend flight cancellations

• Planes grounded until further notice
• Flydubai and Etihad also cancel flights
• Damage to airports including DXB

Emirates Airline is keeping its fleet grounded until at least Tuesday as the regional conflict enters its third day.

The Dubai-based, state-backed carrier was due to resume operations at 3pm local time on Monday, with thousands of passengers stranded across the emirate. But in a note on Monday morning it confirmed that flights would not resume for another 24 hours at the earliest.

The statement said: “We are actively monitoring the situation and engaging with relevant authorities.”

Flydubai has followed a similar route.

The disruption follows coordinated strikes by the US and Israel on Iran on Saturday, which killed Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. These were met with retaliatory missile and drone attacks targeting US military bases across the Gulf, including in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.

Airspace over Iran, Israel, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Syria and the UAE remained closed on Monday morning.

According to aviation analytics company Cirium, close to half of 4,000 flights scheduled to land at airports across the region on Sunday were cancelled. It said that number is expected to increase on Monday.

There are about 900,000 seats per day scheduled to fly to the Middle East from points abroad, and within the Middle East, Cirium said. 

Raghed Waked/Reuters

Dubai Airports announced on Saturday that operations at Dubai International Airport (DXB), the world’s busiest international hub, and Al Maktoum International Airport were suspended “until further notice”. 

A concourse at DXB sustained “minor damage” after being struck on Saturday night.

Etihad Airways has also cancelled flights for a further day. Its Abu Dhabi hub, Zayed International Airport, was struck on Saturday, killing one person.

Bahrain International Airport and Kuwait International Airport also suffered direct or indirect hits from drones or the debris of intercepted missiles.

Doha flag carrier Qatar Airways announced an extension to its postponed schedule on Monday morning. A further update is due to be provided at 9am Doha time on Tuesday.

“Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace,” the company said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia’s Saudia has cancelled flights to and from several regional cities until late Monday, while Oman Air has suspended multiple Gulf routes.

European airlines are also retreating. Wizz Air has suspended flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman until next Saturday. Virgin Atlantic halted Heathrow-Riyadh services on Sunday after cancelling Dubai flights over the weekend.

German airline Lufthansa has suspended flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil, Dammam and Tehran until and including March 8, due to the situation in the Middle East, it said on Sunday, extending cancellations already in place.

It also said airspace over Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Dammam and Iran was closed until and including March 8. Flights to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi were suspended until and including March 4 and United Arab Emirates airspace was not to be used until and including March 4.

British Airways has scrapped Tel Aviv and Bahrain services until Wednesday and warned that flights between Heathrow and Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv could face disruption for days, according to the BBC.