UAE processes exit clearances for 30,000 stranded passengers and grants 15,000 emergency entry visas
UAE waives all visa-overstay fines for travellers grounded by airspace closure
Etihad Rail runs first emergency passenger services, moving 350 people from Saudi border to Abu Dhabi
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Flight-status Day 5: Emirates suspended until 7 March, Etihad until 6 March as GCAA limits UAE airspace to emergency corridors
• Khaleej Times live updates on 4 March show Emirates suspended until 7 March, Etihad until 6 March, and Air Arabia until at least the afternoon of 4 March. • GCAA emergency corridors handle about 48 flights per hour, with priority given to repatriation and cargo. • Corporates must track daily schedule changes and leverage ticket-change waivers; only passengers with confirmed seats may enter UAE terminals.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports restart limited passenger services after unprecedented air-space shutdown
Dubai International and Abu Dhabi Zayed International resumed partial flight operations on 3 March 2026, three days after a blanket closure of Gulf airspace. Only select slots were released, forcing airlines to prioritise repatriation and high-yield sectors. Business travel can restart but remains highly constrained, and corporates are advised to keep evacuation and remote-work plans in place.
First post-crisis Emirates A380s depart DXB as hub moves from shutdown to skeletal schedule
Emirates restarted its long-haul network on 3 March with five A380 flights to Europe and Saudi Arabia, but 80 % of the DXB schedule remains cancelled. Seat supply is extremely tight, forcing companies to prioritise essential travellers and explore alternative routings. The phased restart underscores both Dubai’s resilience and the fragility of global mobility corridors in conflict zones.
UK begins extraction of nationals as first evacuation flights leave Dubai amid ‘chaos’
A UK-chartered evacuation flight left Dubai on 3 March, signalling the first organised extraction of British nationals since Gulf airspace closed. With only a trickle of commercial seats available, UK businesses are revamping traveller-tracking and emergency policies while awaiting a fuller resumption of flights.
UAE issues 15,000 emergency visas and processes 30,913 travellers in single day to ease airport backlog
Immigration officers processed nearly 31,000 passengers and issued over 15,000 emergency short-stay visas on 3 March, preventing status violations for travellers stranded by the flight shutdown. The initiative gives employers and assignees legal breathing room while airlines rebuild schedules.
Ministry of Human Resources extends remote-work directive through 3 March, telling firms to keep staff off roads and tarmacs
MoHRE’s remote-work advisory, effective 1–3 March, remained active on Tuesday, keeping thousands of private-sector employees at home. The move mitigates commuting and on-site safety risks but delays immigration processing and onboarding for new hires.
Port advisory restricts crew changes as UAE keeps maritime gateways at ISPS 1 but airspace closed
A 3 March advisory confirms UAE ports are open, but crew changes are only possible under tight movement controls because the country’s airspace remains closed. Shipping companies face higher insurance costs and logistical hurdles moving seafarers in or out of the Emirates.