Dubai and Gulf flights hit as US-Israel-Iran war drags on

Flights across Dubai and the wider Middle East remain in flux as the US-Israel-Iran war grinds into a second month, with curtailed schedules, extended suspensions and uneven recoveries reshaping how passengers move through one of the world’s busiest aviation corridors.

Image by Condé Nast Traveller Middle East

Dubai airport operations inch back after shutdowns and strikes

Dubai International Airport and Dubai World Central experienced one of the sharpest shocks of the conflict in late February and early March, when the United Arab Emirates briefly closed its airspace following the first US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Published reports describe a 48 hour near-total halt to commercial flights before a limited number of services were gradually cleared to operate again as authorities eased restrictions.

Further disruption followed as Iranian missiles and drones targeted locations around the Gulf, including the UAE. Publicly available information compiled by analysts shows that debris and drone strikes near Dubai International led to temporary suspensions of take offs and landings on multiple occasions in March, forcing diversions to airports in Saudi Arabia and Oman and leaving aircraft and crew out of position.

While the core infrastructure at Dubai International has remained largely intact, some aircraft on the ground were damaged early in the conflict, according to incident lists collated by aviation trackers. Terminals and runways have since reopened, but operations are running on contingency schedules, with longer turnaround times and more frequent “slot swapping” as airlines adjust to changing risk assessments and airspace availability.

As of the end of March, travel industry advisories describe Dubai’s main hub as operating at reduced capacity, with Emirates and a handful of permitted foreign carriers handling the bulk of traffic. Passengers continue to face schedule changes at short notice as security conditions evolve.

Gulf and Asian airlines extend suspensions to Dubai and key Middle East cities

Beyond the immediate airspace closures, a growing list of international airlines has extended or deepened flight cuts to Dubai and other Middle Eastern destinations because of the conflict and ongoing missile and drone threats. Regional travel bulletins show that some Asian and European carriers that initially paused services for a few days in early March have now pushed suspensions well into late spring.

Singapore Airlines, for example, has confirmed through public updates that flights between Singapore and Dubai will remain suspended until at least April 30, citing the geopolitical situation and the need to avoid volatile airspace. Its low cost arm Scoot has similarly kept most Middle East routes on hold since the first strikes at the end of February, forcing passengers to reroute via safer hubs or accept refunds and travel credits.

In Europe, route maps published by carriers and industry media indicate that Cathay Pacific has extended the suspension of its Hong Kong services to both Dubai and Riyadh until May 31. Other airlines, including low cost operators serving Dubai and Abu Dhabi from secondary European cities, have either reduced frequencies or suspended flying into the Gulf for the coming weeks, even as they keep some North African and Eastern Mediterranean routes running.

These decisions are driven not only by direct security concerns but also by sharply reduced demand. Coverage from regional business outlets highlights that many flights still operating into Dubai are departing with light passenger loads, as corporate travel budgets are frozen and leisure travelers opt for alternative destinations until the situation stabilizes.

Wider Middle East network under pressure as airspace stays fragile

The impact of the war on air travel stretches far beyond Dubai, touching almost every major hub in the region. Travel advisories issued in early March documented widespread airspace restrictions or closures across Iran, Iraq, Israel, Qatar, Bahrain and parts of the Gulf, leading airlines to pull back from cities such as Tel Aviv, Doha, Kuwait City and Riyadh.

Carriers based outside the region have taken a cautious approach to overflight as well as destinations. Notices to customers from several European and Asian airlines confirm that many have rerouted long haul services to avoid Iranian and Iraqi skies, adding flight time and fuel burn on routes between Europe, Asia and Africa. Some have chosen to suspend services entirely where detours are impractical or where alternates for diversion and emergency landings are limited.

Latest figures from airport boards and civil aviation notices in countries such as Pakistan illustrate how knock on effects are spreading. Local reports from Karachi, Islamabad and Peshawar over the past weekend described dozens of cancellations and delays on flights bound for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and other Gulf cities, as carriers respond to shifting security assessments and the resulting congestion on remaining open corridors.

In parts of the Levant and wider Middle East, airports technically remain open but with patchy schedules and frequent last minute changes. Public updates from flag carriers in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey repeatedly urge passengers to check their flight status shortly before departure, reflecting how quickly conditions in the airspace can change as new strikes or missile launches are reported.

What travelers flying via Dubai and the region should expect now

For travelers planning to pass through Dubai or other Gulf hubs in the coming days, the picture is one of partial recovery coupled with lingering uncertainty. Emirates has been gradually rebuilding its network from Dubai, and travel blogs tracking operations at the airport suggest the airline aims to approach normal schedules if security conditions allow. However, the continued ban or restriction on many foreign carriers operating to Dubai means that connectivity is still weaker than before the war, especially for passengers who typically rely on non Gulf airlines.

Travel management companies advising corporate clients in Europe and Asia are recommending generous buffers for connection times, favoring itineraries with single airline tickets and flexible fares, and avoiding tight self connections between separate carriers. With diversions and short notice cancellations still possible, itineraries that look convenient on paper may carry higher disruption risk than usual.

Insurance and policy questions are also becoming more complex. Some insurers have started tightening coverage for trips that transit conflict affected airspace, while large employers are updating internal guidance on what constitutes essential travel to the region. Travelers are being encouraged in public advisories to review their policy wording carefully and to keep digital copies of key documents accessible in case of unexpected itinerary changes.

On the ground at Dubai International, passenger experiences reported in recent days range from relatively smooth check in and security queues during quieter periods to long waits when multiple delayed flights are rescheduled into the same departure window. With staffing and crew rotation still under strain, service levels can fluctuate even within the same day, and travelers are being urged by airlines and airports to arrive early and stay alert to announcement boards.

Outlook: conflict trajectory will dictate next phase of recovery

Aviation analysts following the conflict emphasize that the pace of recovery for Dubai and Middle East air travel will depend heavily on the security trajectory in the weeks ahead. If missile and drone attacks on Gulf infrastructure and airspace continue at current levels, most carriers are expected to maintain conservative schedules, favoring reliability and safety margins over rapid capacity growth.

Conversely, any sustained de escalation and clearer framework for airspace management could allow airlines to phase routes back more quickly, particularly on high demand corridors linking Dubai with major markets in Europe, India and Southeast Asia. However, network planning cycles mean that large scale capacity additions typically lag security improvements by several weeks, as airlines need time to reposition aircraft, crew and marketing efforts.

For now, the region’s role as a global aviation crossroads remains constrained. Dubai is still handling more traffic than most neighboring hubs, but its usual status as a seamless mega-connector has been dented by rolling disruptions and capacity cuts. Travelers with flexibility are increasingly routing via alternative hubs in Europe, Central Asia or South Asia, reducing transit volumes through the Gulf.

With the US-Israel-Iran war still unresolved and diplomatic efforts yet to produce a lasting ceasefire, travel planners expect volatility to persist into April and possibly beyond. Passengers heading to or through Dubai and the wider Middle East are likely to face an environment where close monitoring of airline communications and readiness to adapt plans remain essential parts of any trip.