Gulf flight suspensions: latest updates – Monday 9 March

Meanwhile, international repatriation efforts continue, with Finnair and KLM operating relief flights for affected travellers during the week of 9 March. The UK government is also coordinating a paid commercial charter flight from Dubai. More than 160,000 British nationals have registered with the Foreign Office, and nearly 27,000 have departed the city since 1 March. 

 

As commercial activity resumes, regional authorities continue offering accommodation support for stranded travellers. Qatar Tourism is extending temporary hotel stays, with enquiries directed to hotline 106 or +974 4406 9921. In Abu Dhabi, the Department of Culture and Tourism will cover accommodation costs for 7,000 travellers, with 74 hotels across the city offering complimentary stay extensions.

 

In Saudi Arabia, GCC travellers are being accommodated at airports and designated hotels nationwide, including Aber City Center Hotel, Boudl Abha, Boudl Al-Wurood, Boudl Buraydah, Braira Al Dammam Hotel and Narcissus The Royal Hotel. The Makkah Chamber of Commerce has also allocated 2,500 hotel rooms for affected GCC citizens.

 

Here are the latest GCC and international airline updates: 

 

UAE

Emirates: Flights are operating at reduced capacity, with bookings open for more than 80 destinations worldwide, which can be viewed here. Additionally, passengers transiting in Dubai will only be allowed to travel if their connecting flight is operating. 

 

Passengers with bookings between 28 February and 31 March can request a refund or rebook for travel up to 30 April. All city check-in points in Dubai remain closed until further notice. 

Etihad: On 9 March, Etihad is expected to operate 22 outbound flights and 29 inbound flights, as limited commercial flights have resumed. Bookings are now open for travel between 6 and 19 March to 70 destinations with priority for customers with earlier bookings, including: 

 

Ahmedabad, Addis Ababa, Amsterdam, Athens, Atlanta, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Bengaluru, Boston, Brussels, Cairo, Casablanca, Chiang Mai, Chicago, Colombo, Copenhagen, Delhi, Denpasar (Bali), Dublin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Istanbul, Jakarta, Jeddah, Karachi, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Krabi, Kuala Lumpur, Lahore, London (Heathrow), Madrid, Malé, Manchester, Manila, Medina, Melbourne, Milan (Malpensa), Moscow (Sheremetyevo), Mumbai, Munich, Muscat, Nairobi, New York (JFK), Paris, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Prague, Riyadh, Rome, Seoul (Incheon), Seychelles, Singapore, St Petersburg, Sydney, Taipei, Thiruvananthapuram, Tokyo, Toronto, Vienna, Warsaw, Washington and Zurich. 

 

Refunds are available for flights through 21 March, while customers with tickets issued on or before 28 February (for travel up to 21 March) can rebook for free for travel until 15 May. 

 

Flydubai: Operations to and from Dubai have resumed. The airline has warned connecting passengers they will only be allowed to travel if their connecting flight is running.

 

Passengers travelling between 28 February and 31 March can rebook free of cost to the same destination within 30 days of their original travel date.

 

Air Arabia: Limited flights have resumed across Air Arabia’s hubs in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah. Between 6 and 7 March, the airline operated services to the following cities with an updated schedule pending: 

 

Abu Dhabi, Addis Ababa, Ahmedabad, Alexandria, Amman, Assiut, Bangkok, Chittagong, Chennai, Colombo, Coimbatore, Cairo, Cairo-Sphinx, Dammam, Delhi, Dhaka, Entebbe, Faisalabad, Goa, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Istanbul, Jaipur, Karachi, Kathmandu, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lahore, Milan-Bergamo, Mumbai, Multan, Nagpur, Nairobi, Peshawar, Quetta, Riyadh, Sialkot, Thiruvananthapuram, Trabzon and Vienna. 

 

Flights to Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Iraq were suspended until 5 March, however, the airline has yet to provide an update regarding services to these destinations. 

 

Affected customers are eligible for one of the following: a full refund, a full credit voucher or one free date change within 15 days. Customers with earlier flight cancellations may also rebook if they haven’t yet used their refund or modification options. 

Qatar

Qatar Airways: On 7 March, Qatar Airways announced it will resume limited flights, operating select commercial and repatriation services to cities such as Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Frankfurt and Zurich. 

 

The airline noted on its website: “Priority on these flights was given to stranded passengers with families, elderly passengers, and those with urgent medical and compassionate travel needs. Each flight was pre-allocated by Qatar Airways directly to such affected passengers.” 

 

On 9 March, flights to the following destinations will operate from Doha: Seoul, Moscow, London Heathrow, Delhi, Madrid, Islamabad, Beijing, Perth, Nairobi and Istanbul.

 

Passengers with tickets for travel between 28 February and 15 March are eligible for a refund for the unused portion of their ticket, or a complimentary date change within 14 days of the original travel date. Impacted customers can reach the airline at +974 4144 5555.  

 

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Bahrain

Gulf Air: On 8 March, Gulf Air announced repatriation services for Bahraini citizens and residents from London Heathrow, Manchester and Singapore. As Bahrain’s airspace remains closed, the flights will land in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, with passengers responsible for arranging onward travel and any applicable visa requirements for Saudi. 

 

These flights will operate on 9 March, starting with London Heathrow at 09:30, arriving at 19:20. The Manchester service follows, leaving at 10:15 and landing at 20:15, while the Singapore flight departs at 20:00 and arrives at 23:05. 

 

All other services remain suspended with an update from Gulf Air expected on 10 March at 11:00 local time. Impacted customers with bookings through 21 March can either request a refund or rebook free of charge for travel until 15 May. The airline can be contacted at +973 17373737.

 

Gulf Air

 

Saudi Arabia

Saudia Airlines: Starting 7 March, services to and from Dubai have partially resumed. However, flight suspensions to Abu Dhabi, Doha, Bahrain, Kuwait and Amman are extended until 10 March.

 

Customers are eligible for a refund or free of cost rebooking within 14 days of the original departure. If only part of their journey is affected, they can request an alternative route or select the “Travel Later” option to use their ticket in the future. 

 

Flynas: Services to the UAE, Doha, Kuwait, Bahrain, Syria and Iraq are suspended until 9 March at 23:59 local time. 

 

Flyadeal: Flights to Dubai, Amman and Damascus are cancelled until 12 March at 23:59 local time.

 

Kuwait

Kuwait Airways: Repatriation services for citizens continue with a flight scheduled from Barcelona to Dammam, Saudi Arabia for 9 March.

 

For enquiries, customers can contact the airline via Whatsapp at +965 1802050. 

 

Jazeera Airways: Flights are suspended until 11 March at 10:00 local time due to the closure of Kuwait’s airspace. A new update by Jazeera Airways is expected on 11 March at 9:00.

  

Oman

Oman Air: Flights to Dubai, Bahrain, Doha, Dammam, Kuwait, Amman, Baghdad and Khasab remain cancelled until 15 March. 

 

For other destinations, Oman Air has introduced additional flights to meet growing demand at Muscat International Airport (MCT), including services to: London Heathrow (7 to 16 March), Istanbul (9 to 16 March), Bangkok (8 to 15 March), Kuala Lumpur (8 to 11 March), Cairo (8 to 15 March) and Mumbai (7 to 8 March). 

 

Additional services are also scheduled on 9 March between Muscat and Milan, Rome, Amsterdam and Jeddah.

 

Oman Air is also running a bus service between Sharjah’s Muwasalat Al Jubail Bus Station and Muscat International until 10 March. The first bus will depart Sharjah at 07:00 and arrive in Muscat at 15:00, while the second shuttle will leave at 13:00 and reach at 21:00. 

 

SalamAir

 

SalamAir: Flights to Sharjah, Dammam, Doha and Kuwait are halted until 20 March, while flights to Iraq, Lebanon and Iran are cancelled until 28 March. 

 

Until 10 March, affected passengers may rebook their flights once free of charge for travel up to 30 April, or opt for a refund. 

 

SalamAir customers can also utilise the Oman Air bus service between Sharjah and Muscat airports, operating until 10 March. 

 

International Carriers

British Airways: Additional charter flights from Muscat to London are scheduled between 9 and 12 March for passengers in the UAE or Oman with existing bookings. Interested travellers can contact the airline at +44 203 467 3854.

 

Air India: Services to and from Jeddah have resumed, with 10 flights operating on 9 March. Additionally, 14 flights are expected to operate to and from Muscat on the same day.

 

To accommodate passenger demand, the airline will operate an additional 78 flights between 10 and 18 March from Delhi to the following cities: New York JFK, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Zurich, Colombo, Malé and London Heathrow, with an additional service from Mumbai.

 

Finnair: The airline is set to operate a charter flight from Muscat on 10 March for stranded passengers in Dubai. The flight will primarily be for customers whose bookings were cancelled between 28 February and 9 March.

 

In a statement on X, the Finnair stated: “Those in particularly vulnerable situations will be given priority, after which seats will be allocated according to the original return date.” 

 

Affected travellers will be directly contacted by the airline for registration instructions. 

 

Aegean Air: Flights to various regional destinations are cancelled including Riyadh (until 14 March), Abu Dhabi and Dubai (until 19 March), Tel Aviv (until 20 March) and Beirut, Baghdad and Erbil (until 25 March).

 

Customers are eligible for free rebookings for travel until 30 April, a refund or a credit voucher. The airline can be reached at (+30) 210 6261000.

 

KLM: A repatriation flight expected to fly on 7 March was postponed with the airline yet to provide an update. Meanwhile, services to Dubai, Dammam and Riyadh are halted until 10 March.