Some Middle East flights resume while others remain suspended: What’s the latest?
March 3, 2026
With Day 4 of the Iran War underway, the picture regarding some Middle Eastern flights is becoming more complicated. While some airlines continue to suspend all services, others are beginning to reinstate their own flight schedules to some of the region’s major airports.
However, with most airlines updating their statuses on a daily basis, the situation remains fluid. That said, apart from a very limited number of repatriation flights for travellers caught up in the disruption, it would appear that most will have to wait a further 24 hours before they learn any more about their travel options.
Flight turmoil in the Middle East continues for the 4th day
At the time of writing (10:00 GMT on 3 March), the major Middle Eastern airlines have already updated their statuses for the next 24 hours. With tens of thousands of overseas travellers stranded in the region and the travel plans of many others disrupted, there appears to be little sign that the chaos will subside in the coming days.
However, there was a glint of hope on 2 March when a small number of repatriation flights managed to escape the region. This included an Etihad Airbus A380 operating flight EY67, which flew from Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport (AUH) to London Heathrow (LHR) during the afternoon.
The aircraft concerned (A6-APF) remains on the ground in London and has yet to return home, according to data from Flightradar24.
On an airline level, blanket flight bans largely remain in place for the next 24 hours, with the major carriers advising passengers to keep checking back for updates or to contact the airline concerned to rearrange their travel or claim refunds.
Some of the airports concerned, including those in Abu Dhabi, Dubai International (DXB), Kuwait International (KWI), Bahrain (BAH), and Dubai Al Maktoum (DWC), remain closed, although special dispensation from the local authorities may see some flights depart throughout the day on 3 March.
Rounding up the current situation, here is the latest situation report for the major Middle Eastern airlines for Tuesday, 3 March.
Etihad Airways
According to a post on X, all Etihad’s scheduled commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi remain suspended until 14:00 UAE time (11:00 GMT) on Wednesday, 4 March.
The airline did advise that, despite this, some repositioning, cargo and repatriation flights may operate in coordination with the UAE authorities and remain subject to “strict operational and safety approvals”. The airline advises that travellers should not travel to the airport unless they have been contacted directly by Etihad and have been advised to do so.
Emirates / flydubai
Emirates has said it would begin operating a limited number of flights commencing on the evening of 2 March. The carrier added that it would be accommodating customers with earlier bookings as a priority, and those who have been rebooked to travel on these limited flights would be contacted directly by Emirates.
All other passengers are advised not go to the airport unless they have been notified to do so by the airline, and that all other flights remain suspended until further notice.
For flydubai flights from both DXB and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), all remain suspended for the time being and until further updates are published.
Qatar Airways
Unlike its two major Gulf region counterparts, the latest social media post from Qatar Airways states that all flight operations remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace. The carrier said that it will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of its airspace. It states that a further update will be provided on 4 March, although no time for this update is stated.
However, at the time of writing, there is a Qatar Airways Airbus A350 (registered A7-ALH) on the ground at Doha with its transponder switched on, as if preparing to fly. However, no further information is available as to where its intended destination may be.
Gulf Air
An update posted at 08:00 on 3 March indicated that all Gulf Air flights remain temporarily suspended as the closure of Bahrain airspace continues. Services will resume once BCAA confirms safe reopening.
The airline advises that the next update will be issued at 11:00 BHT (08:00 GMT) on 4 March, with no flights planned to operate in the meantime.
Saudia Airlines
It would appear that travel in Saudi Arabia is returning to something resembling normality, with Saudia, flyadeal, and flynas all operating scheduled passenger flights on 3 March.
Saudia Airlines posted on its X channel that flights on 3 March to Amman, Kuwait, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Bahrain, Moscow and Peshawar remain cancelled for the time being, with all these cancellations remaining in place until at least 4 March at 23:59 GMT. In the meantime, the carrier has a further 36 departures from Riyadh and 23 from Jeddah due to depart for the rest of 3 March, according to Flightradar24.
Air Arabia
Air Arabia has said that its flights to and from the UAE are temporarily suspended until 12:00 GMT on 4 March, while flights to Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq are suspended until 5 March 2026. However, the carrier added that a limited number of flights may operate in coordination with the relevant authorities, subject to operational and safety approvals.
Passengers scheduled to fly on these flights will be notified directly, said the airline, while all other passengers due to fly to the UAE are advised not to travel to the airport unless contacted directly by Air Arabia. All other Air Arabia flights appear to be operating as normal across its network.
Jazeera Airways
In a travel alert posted at 07: GMT on 3 March, Kuwait-based low-cost carrier Jazeera Airways said that all flighst remian suspened until further notice, with no additional advice given as to when the next update may be published by the airline.
Oman Air
As reported by the Times of Oman, national carrier Oman Air has said that due to the ongoing regional airspace closures, several of its flights have been cancelled in the coming days.
These include all flights to and from Amman (AMM), Dubai (DXB), Bahrain (BAH), Doha (DOH), Dammam (DMM), Kuwait (KWI), Copenhagen (CPH), Baghdad (BGW), and Khasab (KHS) on 4-6 March. According to the carrier, other flights are operating as scheduled, although some delays may be expected.
“The safety and well-being of our guests and crew remain our highest priority. We are closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the appropriate authorities and will continue to share updates via social media and on our website,” added the carrier.
When will operations return to normal?
Although with some flights restarting and others operating on a limited basis, most analysts predict that there is still a long way to go before normality returns to air operations in the Gulf region. With airlines publishing daily updates and the wider picture remaining highly volatile, there is every chance that matters could deteriorate once again before the situation returns to normal.
In the meantime, airlines will be acutely aware that as each day passes, the backlog of passengers increases and the amount of time it will take to clear that backlog lengthens. However, with safety remaining paramount, any operations that can resume will only do so under the close supervision of the authorities in each country.
Featured image: jovannig / stock.adobe.com
