British Airways has temporarily reduced its flying schedule in the Middle East and canceled all flights to and from Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, and Tel Aviv until later this month, and to and from Abu Dhabi until later this year, according to the airline. The carrier has also cancelled all flights from London Heathrow to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from 24 April, multiple media reports said. Virgin Atlantic has cancelled its Heathrow to Riyadh route from April 7, according to two media outlets. Beond Airlines has suspended all summer flights on its Maldives and Europe routes, including via Dubai, with no resumption expected until at least October, ten media sources reported. KLM has canceled all flights to Dubai until 28 March due to ongoing geopolitical unrest in the Middle East, the Dutch airline said.
Despite the widespread cancellations, British Airways plans to resume flights to Dubai, Doha, and Tel Aviv in the second half of the year, though at a much-reduced scale, according to six media sources. The airline will add daily flights to Bengaluru, India and Nairobi, Kenya, two media outlets reported. British Airways has also announced a host of new flights and destinations for winter 2026, including Melbourne and Colombo, ten media sources said. Flights to Abu Dhabi will resume on October 25 after suspension due to unrest, according to ten media outlets.
Dubai has imposed flight restrictions on foreign airlines, limiting them to a single daily service to its airports until 31 May, four media sources reported. The Federation of Indian Airlines has urged the Indian government to intervene against Dubai's restrictions, the federation said.
An Iranian drone hit a fuel tank near Dubai Airport, sparking a massive fire, according to two media outlets. Two drones fell in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport, injuring four people, officials for Dubai said.
More than 63,000 Britons have returned home from the UAE since the start of the conflict, according to government figures. British Airways has paused repatriation flights to the UK from Oman due to reduced demand, the airline said.
Etihad has begun operating limited flights from Abu Dhabi, including scheduled services to London Heathrow and Manchester, the airline said. Emirates is operating a reduced flight schedule, with flights to Manchester, Birmingham, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London Stansted, Edinburgh, and Newcastle scheduled for this week, the carrier said. Emirates expects a fast return to normal operations, the airline added.
Global air travel faces severe disruption due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to six media sources. Jet fuel prices have soared since the conflict's onset, four media outlets reported.
There are several uncertainties surrounding British Airways' Middle East schedule. The exact timeline for resumption of flights to Dubai is unclear: one source suggests a vague resumption later in the year, while another gives a specific date of July 1. It is also uncertain whether British Airways is permanently removing Jeddah as a destination or continuing to serve it. The current status of flights to Riyadh is also unclear, with conflicting reports about whether services will be cut or resumed in mid-May. The cause of the drone incident near Dubai Airport and the full scope and duration of Dubai's flight restrictions on foreign airlines remain unknown.