In a major boost to South-Asia travel, the United Arab Emirates’ General Civil Aviation Authority on 4 May declared the country’s airspace “fully restored,” lifting all restrictions imposed in February at the height of the US–Iran conflict. Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports are now scaling operations, with Dubai Airports saying it is “decisively increasing flight movements” to pre-conflict levels.
![UAE reopens airspace; India-bound flights ramp back to normal after Gulf disruption]()
Travellers scrambling to secure last-minute entry permits can streamline the process through VisaHQ, which offers fast, end-to-end assistance for UAE e-visas and other regional documents directly from India—more information is available at https://www.visahq.com/india/
For Indian travellers, the reopening ends weeks of capacity caps that had forced rerouting via Muscat and Colombo and driven fares up as much as 60 %. India was already Dubai International’s largest source market, accounting for 2.5 million passengers in Q1 2026; airlines expect pent-up demand for business and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) travel to surge through the summer. Etihad, Emirates and flydubai have re-instated 96 % of their global network, and Indian carriers have restored double-daily services on trunk routes such as Delhi–Dubai and Mumbai–Abu Dhabi. Industry data firm Cirium estimates more than 11,000 flights were cancelled during the closure; schedules are set to recover fully by mid-May. Corporate mobility teams should revisit travel guidance: the MEA has withdrawn its advisory to defer non-essential Gulf trips, but insurers may keep war-risk surcharges in place for a few weeks. Logistics managers moving high-value cargo should also note that night-time curfews on freight yards at Sharjah airport have been lifted. Airports in Bahrain and Qatar remain open but with routing constraints over northern Gulf corridors. Travel consultants recommend checking flight plans 48 hours before departure, as some carriers are still adjusting block times while regional traffic redistributes.
Travellers scrambling to secure last-minute entry permits can streamline the process through VisaHQ, which offers fast, end-to-end assistance for UAE e-visas and other regional documents directly from India—more information is available at https://www.visahq.com/india/
For Indian travellers, the reopening ends weeks of capacity caps that had forced rerouting via Muscat and Colombo and driven fares up as much as 60 %. India was already Dubai International’s largest source market, accounting for 2.5 million passengers in Q1 2026; airlines expect pent-up demand for business and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) travel to surge through the summer. Etihad, Emirates and flydubai have re-instated 96 % of their global network, and Indian carriers have restored double-daily services on trunk routes such as Delhi–Dubai and Mumbai–Abu Dhabi. Industry data firm Cirium estimates more than 11,000 flights were cancelled during the closure; schedules are set to recover fully by mid-May. Corporate mobility teams should revisit travel guidance: the MEA has withdrawn its advisory to defer non-essential Gulf trips, but insurers may keep war-risk surcharges in place for a few weeks. Logistics managers moving high-value cargo should also note that night-time curfews on freight yards at Sharjah airport have been lifted. Airports in Bahrain and Qatar remain open but with routing constraints over northern Gulf corridors. Travel consultants recommend checking flight plans 48 hours before departure, as some carriers are still adjusting block times while regional traffic redistributes.
