Limited flights leave UAE but disruption continues amid Iran strikes

• Posted on March 3, 2026March 3, 2026
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

A limited number of flights have been able to leave the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as departures across the Middle East continue to be disrupted by the joint Israeli and US war on Iran.

More than 4,000 flights a day have been cancelled across the region, according to flight tracking service Flightradar24, with hundreds of thousands of passengers affected.

The disruption “will only increase the longer the crisis continues” and it “will have enormous repercussions for the industry,” director of communications Ian Petchenik said.

The ongoing airline disruption comes as more than 100,000 Britons have registered their presence in the Middle East with the UK government.

On Monday morning, 79% of global flights to Qatar and 71% of flights to the United Arab Emirates had been cancelled, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, while 81% of flights to Israel and 92% of flights to Bahrain have also been grounded.

United Arab Emirates national carrier Etihad Airways had suspended services until 14:00 local time (10:00 GMT)on Wednesday. But there were some ad-hoc departures on Monday, including an Etihad flight to London Heathrow (EY67), which landed at 19:17 GMT, according to Flightradar24.

Fay McCaul was on that flight after being stuck with her seven-year-old son in Abu Dhabi over the weekend.

Speaking at Heathrow on Monday evening, the 41-year-old described the situation at Abu Dhabi Airport as “pretty chaotic”.

“It was just taking ages to board, with no announcements, so we didn’t know what was going on,” she said.

“And then after the boarding time, sirens started going off in the airport and everyone started receiving texts on their phones with alarm signals to stay away from windows because of potential missile strikes.

“So then it was pretty chaotic, and the airline obviously didn’t know what was going on either.”

She added her son had had “a lovely time because he had no idea of what was going on”, but she said it had been pretty stressful” for her.

Other Etihad flights have left for destinations including Moscow, Paris, Cairo, Delhi and Karachi, according to Flightradar24.

The airline said: “Some repositioning, cargo and repatriation flights may operate in coordination with UAE authorities and subject to strict operational and safety approvals”. All regular scheduled services remain cancelled.

Dubai Airports has announced on social media that a “limited resumption of operations” will begin on Monday evening, with a small number of flights allowed to operate from the region’s two main hubs – Dubai International and Dubai World Central.

The Dubai-based airline Emirates says it will prioritise customers with earlier bookings on these flights and will contact passengers directly.

No flights are so far taking off or landing from Doha, as Qatari airspace remains closed.

Earlier in the day, Qatar’s national airline, Qatar Airways, said its flight operations remain temporarily suspended on Monday due to the closure of Qatari airspace.

“Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace,” the airline wrote on X.

From the UK, flights have also been cancelled for many Middle East destinations, including all flights to Israel and Bahrain, three-quarters of the day’s scheduled flights to the United Arab Emirates, and more than two-thirds (69%) of flights to Qatar.

My flight has been cancelled – what should I do?

Although some flights have left the UAE today, a large number of passengers remain stranded.

Passengers due to fly with Emirates from Dubai have been told the airline will begin operating a limited number of flights on Monday evening, with priority being given to those who had earlier bookings cancelled.

The airline said it would contact people it has rebooked onto these flights directly, and warned its customers not to head to the airport unless they have been notified. It said further updates would be published on its website and social media channels.

Etihad, which operates out of Abu Dhabi, said its regular scheduled flights would remain cancelled until Wednesday.

It warned customers not to travel to the airport unless they have been directly contacted by the airline. They are also advised to ensure their contact details are up to date within their bookings, and to check the status of their flight online.

Qatar Airways said all operations remain suspended. It plans to provide an update early on Tuesday, and has told passengers to keep up to date with the latest information via its website and app.

Meanwhile, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said travellers planning to head to the Middle East should check its website for travel advice relating to their destination.

It currently advises against travel to a range of places in the region and says that those who travel against FCDO advice could invalidate their travel insurance.

British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates can register to receive direct updates from the FDCDO.