Oman Air’s Role in Facilitating Passenger Movement
Muscat International Airport has become a critical hub for relief flights, offering a vital pathway for passengers who were unable to depart from the UAE due to ongoing regional airspace closures. Over the past week, Oman Air has operated nearly 80 additional flights and assisted over 97,000 passengers in returning home, as stated in a recent message on X.
The airline is committed to adding more flight frequencies where possible and has also introduced additional bus support services for those crossing the land border from the UAE to Oman to catch onward flights. Despite these efforts, some flights remain affected. The “vast majority” of Oman Air’s international network, which spans Europe, Southeast Asia, and Africa, continues to operate as planned.
However, the airline has confirmed that several key routes are currently suspended. Flights to and from Amman, Dubai, Bahrain, Doha, Dammam, Kuwait, Copenhagen, Baghdad, and Khasab have been canceled from March 9 to 15.
Qatar Airways Resumes Limited Operations
After more than a week of airspace disruptions caused by the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran, Qatar Airways has resumed repatriation flights to and from Hamad International Airport in Doha. In a statement released on Sunday evening, the airline outlined its upcoming schedule.
Flights departing from Doha on Monday, March 9, include destinations such as Seoul, Moscow, London Heathrow, Delhi, Madrid, Islamabad, Beijing, Perth, and Nairobi. On Tuesday, March 10, flights will head to Cairo, London Heathrow, Jeddah, Manila, Kochi, Muscat, Istanbul, Mumbai, Delhi, Nairobi, Islamabad, Madrid, Frankfurt, Colombo, and Milan.
On Tuesday, flights arriving at Doha will come from Seoul, Moscow, London Heathrow, Delhi, Madrid, Islamabad, Beijing, Perth, and Nairobi. Then on Wednesday, March 11, flights will arrive from Cairo, London Heathrow, Jeddah, Manila, Kochi, Muscat, Istanbul, Mumbai, Delhi, Nairobi, Islamabad, Madrid, Frankfurt, Colombo, and Milan.
It is important to note that these flights do not indicate a full resumption of scheduled commercial operations. Up to 8,000 passengers were reported stranded in Qatar, with the government covering hotel costs and extending visas for those affected.
Emirates and Etihad Restart Limited Schedules
Emirates anticipates a return to full flight capacity in the coming days following the partial re-opening of regional airspace in the UAE. The Dubai-based carrier has been operating a reduced schedule while working to restore its full network.
On Thursday, the airline transported approximately 30,000 passengers out of Dubai. “The airline anticipates a return to 100% of its network within the coming days, subject to airspace availability and the fulfillment of all operational requirements,” an Emirates statement said on Friday. Safety remains a top priority.
Passengers with prior bookings are being given priority and should only proceed to the airport if they have a confirmed booking. A drone attack near Dubai International Airport temporarily halted operations on Saturday morning after Iran announced it would no longer target neighboring countries and apologized for past attacks.
Etihad Airways has also restarted a limited flight schedule from Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi. The airline has listed over 70 destinations for travel between March 6 and 19. Guests with previous bookings will be accommodated as soon as possible.
Updates on Middle East Airlines Schedules
Air India and Air India Express will operate a total of 10 flights to and from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 9. Air India Express will also operate 14 flights to and from Muscat, Oman. Additional round-trip flights from various Indian cities to Muscat will also be available.
Virgin Atlantic expects to return all customers who are away from home by early next week. Following the departure of VS401 on Monday, March 9, flights to and from Dubai will be suspended until March 28. The airline is also pausing Riyadh operations for an initial period of two weeks starting on Sunday, March 8.
Saudia has partially resumed flight operations to and from Dubai, operating outbound services from Riyadh and Jeddah. It has also extended the suspension of flights to and from Amman, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Bahrain until 11:59 pm GMT on March 10. Flight cancellations to and from Moscow and Peshawar have been extended until March 15.
British Airways has scheduled further flights from Muscat to London Heathrow on March 9, 10, 11, and 12. These flights are for BA customers in Oman or the UAE with existing bookings.
Finnair is preparing to operate special flights from Muscat to Helsinki to transport around 1,200 customers currently in Dubai. The first flight is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10, with more flights planned later in the week.
Air Arabia has started limited flights to and from the UAE, subject to operational and regulatory approvals. Flights are operating to destinations including Austria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Greece, India, Italy, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.
Gulf Air’s flight operations remain temporarily suspended. The airline will resume services once the Bahrain Civil Aviation Affairs confirms the safe reopening of the affected airspace.
Low-cost carrier Wizz Air has suspended all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Amman up to and including Sunday, March 15.
Turkish Airlines has canceled flights to and from Bahrain, Dammam, and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Syria, and the UAE.
Air France is monitoring the situation in real-time but has extended the suspension of flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh until March 10. Flights to and from Tel Aviv and Beirut are suspended until March 11.
Dutch airline KLM is not flying through the airspace of Iran, Iraq, and Israel, nor over several Gulf region countries. Flights to, from, or via destinations in the region are canceled or adjusted. KLM’s Tel Aviv flights are suspended for the remainder of its winter season, while flights to and from Dammam, Dubai, and Riyadh are suspended up to and including Tuesday, March 10.
Lufthansa Group airlines—including Lufthansa, SWISS International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, and Eurowings—have suspended flights to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi until and including March 10; to and from Dammam until March 10; to and from Amman and Erbil until March 15; to and from Tel Aviv until March 22; to and from Beirut until March 28; and to and from Tehran until April 30. Flights to and from Larnaca in Cyprus will resume as of March 7.
Air Canada has suspended all flights to and from Dubai and Tel Aviv, with plans to restart on March 23.
Garuda Indonesia has temporarily suspended flights to and from Doha “until further notice,” according to a company statement.
