Fresh data released by flight-tracking platform Flightradar24 show that as of 4 April Gulf airlines were operating at just 52 per cent of the flights they flew on 27 February, the day before the US-Israel–Iran war spilled into the region’s skies. The National’s analysis published on 6 April underscores the painstaking recovery facing hubs such as Dubai International (DXB) and Abu Dhabi’s re-branded Zayed International Airport. Emirates has bounced back the fastest, running 384 departures on 4 April versus 531 before hostilities—about 72 per cent of capacity—but still far short of its daily average. Etihad stands at 63 per cent, while flydubai and Air Arabia hover below the 50 per cent mark.
![Gulf carriers crawl back to 52 % of pre-war schedules as UAE airspace restrictions ease]()
Against this backdrop, many travelers and corporate mobility teams also find themselves juggling new visa requirements as routings shift. VisaHQ can simplify that process: its UAE portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) offers real-time updates, electronic applications, and document courier services, helping passengers secure the right entry permits even as flight schedules remain in flux.
Qatar Airways remains the most constrained at 35 per cent after Doha’s air-defence umbrella temporarily closed swathes of the country’s airspace. Airlines continue to reroute long-haul services around Iranian and Iraqi airspace, adding up to two hours of block time on Europe–Asia sectors and inflating fuel costs. That extra expense is showing up in corporate fares: American Express GBT’s Middle East desk recorded a 14 per cent week-on-week hike in premium-cabin fares ex-Dubai for travel between 10 April and 30 May. Carriers have extended change-fee waivers. Emirates passengers holding tickets for travel through 30 April may rebook until 15 June or request full refunds, while Etihad is allowing one free date change on tickets issued before 6 March 2026. Mobility managers should proactively revalidate bookings made before the conflict, as flights may disappear from global distribution systems without formal cancellation notices. Operational uncertainty is likely to persist until a durable cease-fire is in place. Companies running assignment rotations through DXB or AUH should diversify routings—via Muscat or Riyadh for example—and build longer layovers into published itineraries to mitigate mis-connects caused by last-minute slot reductions.
Against this backdrop, many travelers and corporate mobility teams also find themselves juggling new visa requirements as routings shift. VisaHQ can simplify that process: its UAE portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) offers real-time updates, electronic applications, and document courier services, helping passengers secure the right entry permits even as flight schedules remain in flux.
Qatar Airways remains the most constrained at 35 per cent after Doha’s air-defence umbrella temporarily closed swathes of the country’s airspace. Airlines continue to reroute long-haul services around Iranian and Iraqi airspace, adding up to two hours of block time on Europe–Asia sectors and inflating fuel costs. That extra expense is showing up in corporate fares: American Express GBT’s Middle East desk recorded a 14 per cent week-on-week hike in premium-cabin fares ex-Dubai for travel between 10 April and 30 May. Carriers have extended change-fee waivers. Emirates passengers holding tickets for travel through 30 April may rebook until 15 June or request full refunds, while Etihad is allowing one free date change on tickets issued before 6 March 2026. Mobility managers should proactively revalidate bookings made before the conflict, as flights may disappear from global distribution systems without formal cancellation notices. Operational uncertainty is likely to persist until a durable cease-fire is in place. Companies running assignment rotations through DXB or AUH should diversify routings—via Muscat or Riyadh for example—and build longer layovers into published itineraries to mitigate mis-connects caused by last-minute slot reductions.
