Air travel in and out of the United Arab Emirates is facing fresh turbulence as a cluster of major global and regional airlines cancel or suspend flights on key routes, affecting passengers bound for destinations including Amman, Frankfurt, Paris, Tel Aviv, Hyderabad, Lahore, Kabul and Peshawar.

The latest disruption, confirmed on January 19, 2026, spans Dubai International, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Al Maktoum airports and reflects a mix of operational challenges, regional airspace constraints and heightened geopolitical risk across parts of the Middle East and South Asia.

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Over a Dozen Flights Scrapped Across UAE Gateways

The newest wave of cancellations has taken shape across all four principal UAE airports, with at least 14 flights withdrawn from schedules over recent days. According to operational data reviewed by aviation analysts, flights impacted include services from Dubai to Paris, Tel Aviv, Benghazi, Tehran, Kabul and Peshawar, from Sharjah to Islamabad and Hyderabad, from Abu Dhabi to Lahore, and from Al Maktoum to Amman and Frankfurt.

Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest international hub, has borne the brunt of these changes, with a cancelled Air France service to Paris Charles de Gaulle and withdrawn flights to Tel Aviv, Benghazi, Tehran and Kabul. In Dubai South, Al Maktoum International has seen a Royal Jordanian service to Amman and an Emirates-operated flight to Frankfurt removed from the departure board, while Sharjah and Abu Dhabi have experienced targeted cancellations that impact connectivity to Pakistan and India.

The cancellations come on top of an already fragile operating environment, in which airlines have been forced to continually reassess routes due to airspace closures, shifting security assessments and periodic weather disruptions. As a result, the UAE’s typically smooth long-haul connectivity network is experiencing renewed strain at the height of the winter travel season.

Big-Name Carriers Adjust Schedules Amid Regional Volatility

Among the airlines affected in the latest update are some of the world’s best-known full-service and regional carriers, including Emirates, Air France, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), IndiGo, Air Sinai and Royal Jordanian. Each has either cancelled specific flights or is operating reduced or adjusted schedules to and from the UAE as they navigate a complex regional picture.

Emirates, the UAE’s flagship carrier, has already spent much of the past year dynamically managing its Middle East network in response to security developments. The airline has maintained a suspension of its Tel Aviv service, which was introduced in 2022 but pulled following the intensification of the Gaza conflict in 2023, and is now absent from the carrier’s forward schedules. In previous episodes of turmoil, the airline has also temporarily halted flights to cities such as Baghdad, Basrah and Amman as neighboring countries closed their airspace.

European carriers are also recalibrating operations. Air France has once again cancelled flights into Dubai and other Gulf gateways during periods of heightened tension, and in parallel has extended its long-running suspension of the Paris–Tel Aviv route while tightening operations to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on select days. In earlier waves of disruption, airlines such as Lufthansa and British Airways similarly curtailed flights to Dubai, Doha and Riyadh when regional airspace became constricted.

Regional operators including Royal Jordanian and Air Sinai are contending with their own constraints, balancing demand against rapidly changing airspace permissions over Jordan, Israel, Egypt and Iran. Their adjustments, which include cancellations from the UAE to Amman and Tel Aviv, further erode passenger choice on routes that are critical for both business and diaspora travel.

Airspace Closures and Security Concerns Drive Rerouting

Behind the latest cancellations lies an increasingly fragmented airspace map across the wider Middle East and parts of South Asia. Recent closures or restrictions over Iran, Jordan and Israel have forced airlines to either reroute aircraft around sensitive zones or cancel flights outright where alternative paths are not viable within crew-time, fuel and safety parameters.

Indian low-cost giant IndiGo is among the airlines confirming that sudden Iranian airspace closures have affected its international operations, prompting a combination of diversions, reroutings and outright cancellations where regulated work hours and available fuel margins cannot accommodate the detours. Other carriers, such as Air India and SpiceJet, have issued similar advisories highlighting extended flight times and day-of-departure changes on westbound routes that would ordinarily rely on Iranian overflight permissions.

European groups have also been adapting to shifting safety assessments. Lufthansa has opted in some cases to operate flights to Tel Aviv and Amman only during daytime windows, while avoiding certain corridors entirely on specific dates. In previous periods of tension, British Airways, Singapore Airlines and Air France have temporarily scrapped flights into Dubai, Doha and Riyadh rather than flying into what risk analysts classify as elevated-threat airspace.

This web of restrictions not only complicates direct services to cities such as Amman, Tehran and Tel Aviv from the UAE, but also affects long-haul flights transiting nearby skies en route between Europe and Asia. In many cases, aircraft are now routing north via the Caspian Sea or south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia, adding flight time, fuel burn and cost, and thinning out operational resilience when additional irregular events occur.

Conflict Spillover Hits South Asian Routes From UAE

Beyond the Levant, disruptions on routes from the UAE to Pakistan and India have become more frequent as regional conflicts and airspace maneuvers ripple outward. Routes to Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Sialkot have all been affected at different points, with Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and PIA cancelling or consolidating services when overflight corridors become constrained or when security conditions deteriorate near key airports.

In 2025, a flare-up in tensions between India and Pakistan led to widespread flight disruptions lasting several days, with Emirates cancelling selected services from Dubai to Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar, and Etihad suspending multiple Pakistan routes from Abu Dhabi. At the same time, IndiGo cancelled more than a hundred flights to and from northern Indian cities such as Amritsar, Srinagar and Leh, underscoring how even short-haul domestic networks can be knocked off balance when airspace is restricted.

Those patterns are now echoing through the current wave of cancellations from UAE airports. Sharjah and Abu Dhabi have seen Pakistan-bound flights withdrawn at short notice, including services to Lahore and Islamabad. For travelers connecting from Europe or North America through Gulf hubs, the result can be missed links, unplanned overnight stays and hurried rebookings onto alternative city pairs such as Karachi or Doha, where capacity is likewise under pressure.

Hyderabad-bound passengers have also felt the impact, as IndiGo and other Indian carriers adjust departure times or pull individual services between the UAE and southern India, citing knock-on effects from Middle East airspace rerouting. This is particularly disruptive for the large Indian expatriate community in the Gulf, many of whom rely on affordable, high-frequency flights to travel back and forth for work and family reasons.

Passenger Experience: Long Queues, Uncertain Timelines

At airport level, the immediate human impact of the cancellations has been evident in the form of crowded airline desks, long queues at transfer counters and an uptick in last-minute hotel bookings near terminals in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Travelers report being informed at short notice of cancellations or major schedule changes, sometimes only upon arrival at the airport for an onward connection.

Airport authorities and airlines say they are working to alleviate the disruption by offering rebooking options, fee waivers and, in some cases, accommodation and meal vouchers to stranded passengers. In previous weather and conflict-related disruptions, operations teams in Dubai have opened additional customer service points airside and landside, while airport management has coordinated closely with immigration and security to streamline passenger flows and handle higher than usual numbers of people exiting and reentering the terminal system.

However, the sheer number of moving parts involved in long-haul network operations means knock-on effects can persist for days after an initial cancellation. Flights that do operate may leave with fewer available seats due to the need to accommodate rebooked passengers, while some travelers find themselves rerouted via secondary hubs in the region, leading to extended travel times and additional security checks.

Travel agents and corporate travel managers based in the UAE say they are fielding a spike in inquiries as clients seek clarity on whether upcoming trips to affected cities should proceed. Many are advising travelers headed to Amman, Tel Aviv, parts of Pakistan and certain Indian gateways to maintain flexible itineraries, with refundable fares and changeable tickets where budgets allow.

Operational Strain Meets Weather and Capacity Challenges

The latest cancellations come against a backdrop of ongoing operational strain within the Gulf’s aviation ecosystem. In late 2025, adverse weather in Dubai triggered the cancellation of more than 70 flights at Dubai International alone, highlighting how quickly disruption can cascade when heavy rainfall or low visibility coincide with peak travel periods. While operations have largely normalized since then, airlines and airports continue to recover schedule stability and resource balance.

Capacity constraints, particularly on certain long-haul aircraft types, are further complicating airlines’ ability to absorb shocks. With many carriers already deploying widebody fleets at or near pre-pandemic utilization levels, spare aircraft to plug unexpected gaps are limited. As a result, a single weather event, technical issue or security-driven rerouting can force network planners to make difficult choices about which routes to protect and which to temporarily suspend.

In addition, ground handling and customer service teams across the UAE remain under pressure from sustained high traveler volumes. When disruptions occur, redeploying staff to assist stranded passengers can divert resources from routine operations, potentially slowing boarding, baggage handling and turnaround times even for flights that remain on schedule.

Industry analysts note that while Gulf hubs are among the world’s most resilient in terms of infrastructure and staffing, the convergence of geopolitical volatility, weather-related incidents and surging demand during peak seasons is testing the system’s limits. The current mix of targeted cancellations and selective suspensions is, in part, a reflection of that balancing act.

What Travelers Should Expect in the Coming Days

With airspace restrictions and regional tensions subject to rapid change, airlines are cautioning that further adjustments remain possible in the days ahead. Carriers serving the UAE have advised passengers booked on flights to destinations including Amman, Frankfurt, Paris, Tel Aviv, Hyderabad, Lahore, Kabul and Peshawar to monitor their flight status closely and to ensure contact details in their bookings are up to date so that any last-minute changes can be communicated promptly.

Frequent flyers and travel planners are being encouraged to build longer connection buffers into itineraries that pass through Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah, particularly when connecting onward to cities in the Levant and South Asia. Where practical, some carriers are allowing free date changes or waiving rebooking fees on affected routes, though fare differences may still apply as remaining seats fill up quickly on alternative flights.

For the broader aviation industry, the UAE’s latest bout of disruptions underscores an increasingly familiar reality. Even the most sophisticated hubs and airlines remain vulnerable to events far beyond their control, from missile strikes and geopolitical escalations to sudden airspace closures and severe weather systems. As carriers such as Emirates, Air France, PIA, IndiGo, Air Sinai and Royal Jordanian continue to adapt their schedules, passengers in and around the UAE can expect a travel environment marked by more caution, more last-minute changes and a renewed premium on flexibility.