German business travellers heading to the Gulf face fresh disruption: on 12 March Lufthansa quietly extended its suspension of passenger and cargo services to Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC) for the period 16-28 March. The airline says both Dubai airports have ordered “significant capacity reductions” that leave no viable slots for its daily Frankfurt–Dubai rotations. Tickets issued on or before 1 March for travel during the affected window can be re-booked free of charge or refunded in full. While the move spares Lufthansa from paying EU-mandated compensation—because local airport restrictions count as an ‘extraordinary circumstance’—it leaves corporates scrambling for alternatives at short notice. Emirates has indicated it will honour most existing codeshare itineraries but warned of limited premium-class availability. Travel managers with time-sensitive assignments are shifting passengers onto Qatar Airways via Doha or Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, both of which offer multiple daily flights from Germany’s major hubs. The Dubai suspension follows a turbulent month for Lufthansa, dominated by an unrelated 48-hour pilots’ strike. It also highlights how fast air-hub capacity rules can change: DXB and DWC typically grant airlines only seven days’ notice of slot reductions triggered by construction, weather, or geopolitical constraints. Companies should brief travelling staff on the UAE’s e-visa validity rules, which allow most German nationals a free 90-day stay but require unused single-entry visas to be cancelled before a replacement can be issued. Those re-routing via Doha or Istanbul must also check transit-visa requirements for accompanying non-EU colleagues. Lufthansa says it is “working with UAE authorities” to restore at least a skeleton service before the Eid al-Fitr holiday in early April, but advises passengers not to finalise appointments in Dubai until flight status is confirmed.
