Dubai caps Indian carriers at one flight per day until 31 May, Federation of Indian Airlines seeks reciprocal action

Just hours after India’s carriers tallied losses from Gulf detours, another blow landed: Dubai Airports notified foreign airlines that capacity constraints would require a one-rotation-per-day limit at both Dubai International and Al Maktoum airports until 31 May. The Business Upturn report on 14 April reveals the outsized impact on Indian aviation, whose three largest operators—IndiGo, Air India (including AI Express) and SpiceJet—had filed more than 1,300 India-Dubai flights for April–May. Under the cap, IndiGo’s 15 daily flights drop to one, while the Air India group’s 750-plus scheduled rotations shrink to roughly 60 for the two-month period. The Federation of Indian Airlines has written to the civil-aviation ministry urging retaliatory slot limits on Emirates and flydubai, arguing that Dubai’s measure selectively spares home-carriers and distorts competition. Dubai Airports says the restriction is a direct fallout of regional air-traffic congestion caused by the Iran war, which has displaced hundreds of flights away from Iranian skies and funnelled them over the UAE. Indian carriers, already grappling with longer routings around Pakistan, warn that losing their highest-yield Gulf sector in the peak summer season could wipe out Q1 profits and force schedule cuts elsewhere. Corporate travel managers with heavy India-UAE traffic will likely face capacity shortages and price volatility. Experts suggest booking critical trips well in advance, considering Sharjah or Abu Dhabi as alternatives, and monitoring possible government-to-government negotiations that could relax—or harden—bilateral slot entitlements in the coming weeks.