Can you still fly to Dubai? These 30+ airlines are keeping DXB connected

Several major airlines have extended suspensions of Dubai flights as the conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt regional airspace.

British Airways has delayed the resumption of flights to Dubai, Doha and Tel Aviv until 1 August, while KLM has cancelled flights to and from Dubai until at least 2 August.

But Dubai is not cut off. Emirates and flydubai continue to operate the bulk of services through Dubai International Airport, while a growing number of international carriers have either resumed flights or are scheduled to return over the summer.

Emirates and flydubai are carrying most Dubai traffic

At the beginning of May, Emirates reported it had restored 96% of its network, resuming services across the Americas, Europe, Africa, West Asia, the Middle East/GCC, the Far East and Australasia. 

As of May 4, the airline served 137 destinations across 72 countries, with over 1,300 weekly frequencies, representing 75% of its pre-disruption capacity. Emirates also reported it had carried 4.7 million passengers during the disruption.

Flydubai has also remained one of the main operators into and out of DXB, helping maintain short- and medium-haul links across the Gulf, Middle East, South Asia, Africa and parts of Europe while other international carriers pause or reduce services.

For passengers, that means the clearest routes into Dubai are still likely to be on UAE-based carriers, particularly where Emirates and flydubai continue to operate direct services or maintain connecting options through DXB.

However, a wider group of international airlines is now appearing in scheduled arrivals data, suggesting that access to Dubai is gradually broadening beyond the two home carriers.

The airlines currently flying to and from Dubai International Airport (DXB)

Both FlightAware and FlightRadar24 show that while most of the activity at DXB still stems from Emirates and flydubai operations, other carriers have restored their scheduled service to Dubai.

The active list is heavily weighted towards regional, Gulf, South Asian, Central Asian and African carriers, with long-haul Western airline capacity still more limited.

• Airblue
• Air India 
• Air India Express
• Ariana Afghan Airlines 
• Air Sial
• Azerbaijan Airways
• Belavia
• Berniq Airways
• Biman Bangladesh Airlines
• Centrum Air
• Cyprus Airways
• Egyptair
• Ethiopian Airlines
• Flyadeal 
• Fly Cham
• Fly Jinnah
• Flynas
• Fly OYA
• Gulf Air
• Himalaya Airlines
• IndiGo
• Iraqi Airways
• Jazeera Airways
• Kam Air
• Kenya Airways
• Kuwait Airways
• MEA
• Nepal Airlines
• Oman Air
• Pakistan International Airlines
• Pegasus
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Jordanian
• Saudia
• SpiceJet
• SriLankan Airlines
• US-Bangla Airlines
• Uzbekistan Airways

This list includes airlines that appear in the scheduled arrivals at Dubai Airport and have recently been active, but it is not comprehensive. Some carriers may have resumed services that were not visible in the available arrivals list at the time of our review. Some carriers appearing in the arrivals have kept their schedule slots active but have not flown to Dubai since the conflict began. Those carriers are excluded from this list.    

Which airlines are scheduled to return to Dubai this summer?

An airline’s decision to resume service to Dubai will depend on a series of factors, including the level of risk posed by the ongoing conflict and existing demand. However, Cirium data show that 83 carriers have scheduled flights to Dubai during the summer months of June-September.  

Air India (829 scheduled flights), Air India Express (1,665 scheduled flights), Indigo (1,754 scheduled flights), and Saudia (1,004 scheduled flights) have made the largest flight commitments to Dubai this summer, after the two national carriers.

Many airlines have scheduled service resumption in September, which in some cases suggests a wait-and-see approach to restoring flights to Dubai.   

The world’s second-busiest airport gets back to business

FlightAware data shows that Dubai Airport is now operating with a 39% reduction in traffic compared to the same week in 2024, with around 700 daily arrivals and departures. 

While it’s not a full return to normalcy, it marks significant progress since the severe drop in operations at the beginning of March, when there were fewer than 150 arrivals and departures at the airport.

For many years, Dubai International Airport has been just behind or occasionally slightly ahead of Hartsfield-Atlanta International Airport, vying for the top spot as the world’s busiest airport by passenger traffic. 

Last year, OAG listed Dubai as the second-busiest airport, writing, “DXB’s airline capacity has seen significant growth since 2019 with seats increasing by 16% and capacity growing by 4% year-on-year, so it may not be long until it reaches the number 1 position.”

That changed with the launch of Operation Epic Fury, as the repercussions of the Iran conflict nearly shut down the hub. As of May, Dubai Airport still hasn’t made it back to the world’s top 10 busiest airports, according to OAG schedule data. 

The conflict is ongoing, and the situation is changeable. However, Dubai Airport is recovering as international carriers resume service. Though most of the recovery is currently driven by African, Asian, Eurasian, and Middle Eastern airlines, the current summer schedule indicates plans for airlines from other regions to return. 

Assuming national regulators clear airlines to resume service to Dubai and there are no further disruptions stemming from the conflict, Dubai may be back on the OAG top-ten list soon.  

Featured Image: Emirates

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