Skies Slowly Clear: Middle East Airlines Restart Limited Flights

For thousands of travelers stranded across the Middle East, a path home is slowly reopening. Following widespread airspace closures in early March after regional hostilities, major Gulf carriers have begun operating limited flights and dedicated repatriation services.

The change is gradual. Emirates is now flying to 75 destinations, with plans to restore its full network soon. Etihad Airways has a limited schedule to 70 cities in place until March 19. Both airlines stress that passengers should only come to the airport if they hold a confirmed booking or have been directly contacted.

From Doha, Qatar Airways is running a special schedule of repatriation flights through March 12 to cities like London, Paris, and Frankfurt, using temporarily authorized flight corridors. Similarly, Flydubai and Air Arabia have resumed limited operations.

The situation remains fluid. Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Israel, Bahrain, and Kuwait remains closed, with Kuwait's airport sustaining damage from a reported drone strike. While UAE and Qatari airspace have partially reopened, scheduled commercial service is not yet normal.

Globally, carriers like British Airways, Lufthansa, and Air Canada have suspended routes to affected hubs, offering flexible rebooking. The advice from all airlines is uniform: check your booking status directly with your carrier before heading to the airport. While the logjam is breaking, full restoration of air links will take more time.