Zayed International Airport (AUH), Abu Dhabi’s brand-new terminal complex, reopened to commercial traffic on the morning of 8 April, operating about 45 per cent of its pre-crisis schedule after a two-week period of rolling air-space restrictions linked to the Iran-US conflict. Airport operator AD Airports said all three concourses are now active, but airlines have been asked to cluster departures into four protected ‘green slots’ each day so that the General Civil Aviation Authority can re-route traffic around short-notice no-fly zones. Etihad Airways is leading the restart with 38 departures—mainly to core business hubs such as London, Frankfurt, Singapore and Mumbai—while Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi and Pakistan International Airlines have been cleared to operate a handful of services. Travellers are being urged to reconfirm flights and arrive at least four hours before departure because security screening lines remain understaffed and airside coach transfers between remote stands and the main building are operating on a reduced frequency.
![Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport resumes partial operations; travellers warned of reduced schedule]()
If your employees need last-minute entry paperwork sorted out, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Its dedicated UAE page (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) lets travellers and mobility managers check current visa requirements, submit electronic applications and track approvals in real time—an especially handy service while flight schedules and ground procedures remain in flux.
For mobility managers, the staggered ramp-up means regional connections are still fragile: Etihad’s inter-Gulf shuttle to Bahrain and Kuwait is suspended until at least 15 April, and codeshare partners are waiving change fees on tickets issued before 29 February. Corporate relocation teams are advised to build in 24-hour buffers for new-hire arrivals and to keep assignees on flexible tickets until normal operations resume. Cargo capacity is also constrained. Only four of AUH’s twelve wide-body stands are open, forcing freight carriers to prioritise perishables and medical shipments. Multinationals moving project equipment should expect rerouting via Dubai World Central or Dammam until the aircraft parking backlog clears. Travel-risk consultancies continue to rate flying into AUH as ‘medium risk’ because random missile-alert groundholds of up to 45 minutes are still being enforced during peak Iranian launch windows.
If your employees need last-minute entry paperwork sorted out, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Its dedicated UAE page (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) lets travellers and mobility managers check current visa requirements, submit electronic applications and track approvals in real time—an especially handy service while flight schedules and ground procedures remain in flux.
For mobility managers, the staggered ramp-up means regional connections are still fragile: Etihad’s inter-Gulf shuttle to Bahrain and Kuwait is suspended until at least 15 April, and codeshare partners are waiving change fees on tickets issued before 29 February. Corporate relocation teams are advised to build in 24-hour buffers for new-hire arrivals and to keep assignees on flexible tickets until normal operations resume. Cargo capacity is also constrained. Only four of AUH’s twelve wide-body stands are open, forcing freight carriers to prioritise perishables and medical shipments. Multinationals moving project equipment should expect rerouting via Dubai World Central or Dammam until the aircraft parking backlog clears. Travel-risk consultancies continue to rate flying into AUH as ‘medium risk’ because random missile-alert groundholds of up to 45 minutes are still being enforced during peak Iranian launch windows.
