Emirates and Etihad Airways confirmed on March 8 that they are operating limited schedules once again, signalling the first tangible easing of the week-long airspace shutdown that has paralysed business travel into and out of the Emirates. In statements carried by Arab News, both airlines stressed that only passengers with confirmed seats—and, in Emirates’ case, onward connections that are also operating—will be accepted at check-in.
The restart follows multilateral negotiations between the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, neighbouring GCC regulators and military commands administering no-fly zones. A trio of temporary “safe corridors” now allows westbound departures over the Arabian Sea, short-haul hops to Muscat for onward transfer, and restricted northbound routes skirting Iranian FIRs. Capacity, however, is a fraction of normal: aviation data firm OAG puts combined daily departures for the two UAE mega-hubs at just over 240, less than 25 per cent of pre-crisis levels.
Fitch Ratings warns that every week of near-shutdown costs Gulf airlines an estimated US $350 million in lost passenger revenue and additional fuel and crew costs from circuitous routings. While the big three super-connectors—Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways—have strong liquidity buffers, smaller regional carriers and airport retailers face acute cash-flow pressure.
![Gulf Carriers Begin Phased Restart of UAE Flight Networks]()
Corporate mobility managers are therefore booking high-yield sectors first (Europe–Asia and Australia–Europe) where demand is strongest and rerouting essential staff over secondary hubs such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Istanbul. Employers are advised to budget for fare spikes of 40-70 per cent and longer duty travel times until full airspace normalisation—currently projected for late March—occurs.
Amid these logistical headaches, VisaHQ can smooth at least one part of the journey: the paperwork. The company’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) lets travellers and travel managers quickly check visa requirements for every onward destination, submit electronic applications, and even arrange UAE transit visas if extended layovers turn into overnight stays—saving precious time while airlines juggle limited seat availability.
From a compliance angle, passengers transiting Dubai or Abu Dhabi must still possess visas for their final destination even if layovers are prolonged. Immigration authorities have asked airlines to validate this before boarding to prevent additional overstays once travellers land in the UAE.
The restart follows multilateral negotiations between the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, neighbouring GCC regulators and military commands administering no-fly zones. A trio of temporary “safe corridors” now allows westbound departures over the Arabian Sea, short-haul hops to Muscat for onward transfer, and restricted northbound routes skirting Iranian FIRs. Capacity, however, is a fraction of normal: aviation data firm OAG puts combined daily departures for the two UAE mega-hubs at just over 240, less than 25 per cent of pre-crisis levels.
Fitch Ratings warns that every week of near-shutdown costs Gulf airlines an estimated US $350 million in lost passenger revenue and additional fuel and crew costs from circuitous routings. While the big three super-connectors—Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways—have strong liquidity buffers, smaller regional carriers and airport retailers face acute cash-flow pressure.
Corporate mobility managers are therefore booking high-yield sectors first (Europe–Asia and Australia–Europe) where demand is strongest and rerouting essential staff over secondary hubs such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Istanbul. Employers are advised to budget for fare spikes of 40-70 per cent and longer duty travel times until full airspace normalisation—currently projected for late March—occurs.
Amid these logistical headaches, VisaHQ can smooth at least one part of the journey: the paperwork. The company’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) lets travellers and travel managers quickly check visa requirements for every onward destination, submit electronic applications, and even arrange UAE transit visas if extended layovers turn into overnight stays—saving precious time while airlines juggle limited seat availability.
From a compliance angle, passengers transiting Dubai or Abu Dhabi must still possess visas for their final destination even if layovers are prolonged. Immigration authorities have asked airlines to validate this before boarding to prevent additional overstays once travellers land in the UAE.
