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Travel Alerts · 05 September 2026

A dozen airlines have pulled out of Dubai and Abu Dhabi deep into the winter schedule

Updated 16 October: Lufthansa returns to Dubai on 25–26 October, SWISS on 27 October and BA on 3 November. Air France is suspended to 24 October, Singapore Airlines to 1 December and Cathay to 31 January 2027.

LT
Live Traveller
Travel News
7 min read · Updated 16 October 2026

Update — 16 October 2026: new return dates for Dubai

Air France has extended its Dubai and Riyadh suspension to 24 October (Gulf News, 30 September). KLM still intends to restart Dubai from 25 October, the start of the winter schedule, depending on the situation.

Lufthansa Group’s own flight-status page (updated 13 October) gives these dates: Lufthansa Munich–Dubai from 25 October and Frankfurt–Dubai from 26 October; SWISS Zurich–Dubai daily from 27 October; Eurowings from 1 November (Berlin, Stuttgart) and 3 November (Cologne/Bonn); and Austrian Vienna–Dubai not until 12 December. The group’s Abu Dhabi flights are suspended to at least 24 October.

Further out, Singapore Airlines has cancelled Singapore–Dubai to 1 December (Mainly Miles, 1 October), Cathay Pacific says its Dubai and Riyadh passenger flights are cancelled up to and including 31 January 2027, and Air Canada’s Dubai suspension now runs to the end of March 2027 (Gulf News). The dates for these airlines in our earlier updates below are superseded.

Update — 25 September 2026: Air France extends, KLM names a date

Air France has extended its suspension of Dubai flights up to and including 13 October 2026, and of Riyadh to 28 September, Khaleej Times reported on 24 September, quoting the airline. Our 17 September update gave Air France’s Dubai return as 19 September; that date has passed without flights resuming.

KLM plans to resume Dubai, Riyadh and Dammam from 25 October, the start of the winter schedule, AeroTime reported on 22 September — with the caveat, in KLM’s words, that “the exact timetable will depend on the situation in the Middle East at that time”. The other dates in our 17 September update are unchanged in the sources we have checked. Air India, Air India Express and IndiGo continue to fly to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Our earlier updates and the original report of 5 September follow unchanged.

Separately, the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority suspended flights by Iranian airlines to and from the UAE from Thursday 24 September until further notice, citing the US ban on Iranian carriers, Gulf News and AGBI reported. This concerns Iranian airlines only; no source we have read reports any effect on flights between India and the UAE.

Update — 17 September 2026: several dates have moved again

Several of the dates in this article have changed since our 12 September update. Some carriers are now returning sooner than they were, and some later. The earlier text below is kept as it was, so read this section first.

Later than before. British Airways has pushed its Dubai return to 3 November 2026, once daily in winter, and says Abu Dhabi will not return until the winter 2027–28 season (Khaleej Times and The National, 16 September). Finnair is not flying Dubai from 25 October 2026 until the end of the winter season on 27 March 2027, according to its own travel updates page. Our earlier “24 October” date for Finnair was misleading. Air France has extended its Dubai suspension again, to 19 September, according to Gulf News on 16 September. That date has moved several times, so check with the airline. Air Astana’s Dubai flights are cancelled until at least 30 September (The National).

Dated returns. The Lufthansa group has published restarts rather than a single suspension date. Lufthansa resumes Munich–Dubai on 25 October and Frankfurt–Dubai on 26 October, and SWISS resumes daily Zurich–Dubai from 27 October (The National, 16 September). Philippine Airlines is still due back on Manila–Dubai on 2 October. KLM, Singapore Airlines, ITA Airways, airBaltic and Wizz Air are listed as suspended until 24 October. Cathay Pacific is out of Dubai and Riyadh until 30 November, and Air Canada until mid-January 2027. Virgin Atlantic’s London–Dubai suspension runs until October 2027. Korean Air has still set no date. Turkish Airlines has resumed Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

What has not changed: Gulf News reported on 16 September that Air India and Air India Express have restored their full Gulf networks, at around 780 weekly flights between India and the region, and that IndiGo is operating selected Middle East services. A trip to Dubai itself is unaffected. The gap is still the onward leg to Europe, the UK and North America, and it now runs well past January for some carriers. Check with the operating carrier before relying on any date here.

Who is suspended, and until when (report of 5 September)

Gulf News reported on 5 September that a long list of foreign carriers has suspended services to the United Arab Emirates, with resumption dates now stretching across the whole winter schedule. As printed: Air France has extended its Dubai suspension through 8 September (see the update below — that date has since moved twice); Philippine Airlines is out of Manila–Dubai until 2 October; Singapore Airlines, ITA Airways, Finnair (Helsinki–Dubai), airBaltic and Lufthansa with Eurowings and SWISS are suspended until 24 October; British Airways has Dubai and Abu Dhabi suspended with Dubai scheduled to resume on 25 October; Cathay Pacific is out of Dubai and Riyadh through 30 November; and Air Canada is suspended until mid-January 2027.

Three carriers have given no end date at all: Korean Air on Incheon–Dubai, Virgin Atlantic on London–Dubai, and Pegasus across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The report attributes the disruption to the US–Iran conflict and to a security situation that continues to affect flight schedules and airspace operations.

Who is still flying

The same report lists Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, flynas, Jazeera Airways and — importantly for readers here — Air India, Air India Express and IndiGo as operating. Emirates is running its Bahrain and Kuwait services normally and flydubai reports Kuwait and Bahrain flights as scheduled. Etihad is described as mostly operating normally, with delays reported on Karachi, Delhi, Peshawar and Kochi. Air Arabia has cancelled a number of Kuwait and Bahrain flights.

What it means for Indian travellers

The direct India–UAE market is not the problem: the Indian carriers are flying and a holiday to Dubai itself can go ahead. The problem is the connection. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the two hubs most Indian itineraries use to reach Europe, the UK and North America on a single ticket, and a dozen of the airlines that fly the second leg are not operating them for most of the winter.

If you are holding a booking that transits the Gulf between now and January, check with the operating carrier rather than assuming the schedule stands, and be wary of self-transfer itineraries built from two separate tickets. Where you can, look at a one-stop alternative through Doha, Istanbul or a European hub. Gulf News advises passengers to arrive at least three hours before departure, four hours for flydubai, to complete online check-in, and to check flight status before setting out.

Update, 12 September: what has moved since

Two of the dates above have been overtaken, in opposite directions. Air France did not return to Dubai on 8 September: it extended the suspension again, to 10 September and then to 15 September, and its Beirut flights are now suspended to 24 September. Riyadh and Tel Aviv are operating.

KLM has since been added to the suspended list, out of Dubai, Riyadh and Dammam until 24 October — the same date that now covers Singapore Airlines, ITA Airways, Finnair, airBaltic and the Lufthansa group carriers. Virgin Atlantic, which had given no date, is now listed as suspended on London–Dubai until October 2027. British Airways (Dubai from 25 October), Cathay Pacific (30 November), Philippine Airlines (2 October) and Air Canada (mid-January 2027) are unchanged.

What has not changed is the part that matters most to readers here: Air India, Air India Express and IndiGo are all operating, alongside Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, Air Arabia, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines. Air India and Air India Express have restored their full Gulf networks at about 780 weekly flights between India and the region. The India–UAE market is intact; it is the second leg beyond the Gulf that is thin.

Sources

This report is based on the following published sources. Rules and schedules change — confirm with the issuing authority before you travel.

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