Several airlines on Tuesday began resuming limited commercial services to the Middle East, cautiously returning to the skies to evacuate thousands of passengers stranded by the escalating conflict in the Gulf.
According to the Dubai Airports website, a number of commercial flights were scheduled to depart Tuesday morning. However, authorities warned travelers not to head to the airport unless they had been contacted directly by their airline with a confirmed departure time.
The disruption came after US-Israel strikes against Iran on February 28, after which Iran launched waves of retaliatory drone and missile attacks targeting multiple Gulf countries.
The escalation triggered widespread airspace closures and flight cancellations across the region.
Evacuation flights begin amid restrictions
Travelers stranded by the widening war began departing the United Arab Emirates on a limited number of evacuation flights on Monday, as most commercial air traffic across the Middle East remained suspended.
The US State Department urged its citizens in 13 countries including the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon and Oman to "depart now via commercial means due to serious safety risks." However, sweeping airspace closures significantly reduced travel options.
Since Saturday, when US and Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks began, commercial flights have been halted or heavily restricted, leaving tourists, business travelers, migrant workers and religious pilgrims stranded in hotels and airports.
Airspace remained closed Monday over Iran, Iraq and Israel, while Jordan imposed a temporary closure.
Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia implemented partial or temporary closures that could be extended, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24.
UAE carriers restart limited operations
Long-haul carriers Etihad Airways, Emirates and budget airline Flydubai announced limited outbound services.
At least 16 Etihad flights departed Abu Dhabi during a three-hour window Monday, heading to destinations including Islamabad, Paris, Amsterdam, Mumbai, Moscow and London, according to Flightradar24.
However, the airline said regularly scheduled commercial services would remain suspended until Wednesday afternoon. Emirates prioritised passengers with earlier bookings as it restarted select services Monday evening. FlyDubai operated four outbound and five inbound flights.
Dubai Airports confirmed a limited resumption of operations from Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC), but stressed that passengers should only travel to the airport if directly notified by their airline.
Indian airlines step in to repatriate passengers
Indian carriers also began limited operations to help bring back stranded passengers. IndiGo said it would operate four return flights to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to "progressively normalise" operations.
Air India Express resumed services to Muscat in Oman from Tuesday.
Budget carrier Akasa Air announced select flights to Jeddah, while SpiceJet scheduled four special flights from Fujairah in the UAE to repatriate stranded Indians.
Flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru resumed Monday night, bringing relief to thousands.
An Emirates flight from Dubai to Mumbai landed safely at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Tuesday amid tight coordination between airport authorities and airline officials.
Despite partial resumptions, disruptions continued
Some flight disruptions continued on Tuesday despite partial reopening of Gulf airspace, with major cancellations reported at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata.
At least 80 international flights, 36 departures and 44 arrivals were cancelled at Delhi airport on Tuesday morning due to operational constraints linked to the escalating conflict in West Asia.
An Emirates flight (EK513) bound for Dubai returned to Delhi mid-air because of airspace restrictions, according to Flightradar24. However, flight EK512 from Dubai landed safely in the national capital later in the morning.
In Kolkata, at least 10 international flights were cancelled due to the ongoing tensions. Airlines including Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Air Arabia suspended services connecting the city with key West Asia destinations.
These disruptions followed the suspension of at least 20 international flights at Kolkata airport on Monday amid the worsening regional situation.
PV Sindhu returns safely to India
Indian badminton star PV Sindhu has safely returned to Bengaluru after being stranded in Dubai amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran.
The two-time Olympic medallist shared her relief in a post on X saying, "Back home in Bangalore and safe. The last few days have been intense and uncertain, but I'm truly grateful to be back to my house. A heartfelt thank you to the incredible ground teams, Dubai authorities, airport staff, immigration, and every single person who stepped up and took such good care of us during a very difficult time."
The disruption has had far-reaching consequences because Gulf airports serve as major global transit hubs connecting Europe, Africa and Asia. Dubai International Airport alone handled a record 95.2 million passengers last year, making it the world’s busiest airport for international travel.