UAE airlines cancel scores of Bahrain and Kuwait flights amid regional tensions

UAE carriers Emirates, Etihad Airways and Air Arabia issued a flurry of schedule updates on 2 August after overnight security advisories prompted them to trim services to Bahrain, Kuwait and, in Air Arabia’s case, parts of Saudi Arabia. Etihad scrapped EY 653/654 between Abu Dhabi and Kuwait and warned passengers to expect further last-minute changes. Emirates cancelled eight return pairs on the busy Dubai–Kuwait and Dubai–Bahrain routes, telling customers that additional Bahrain timings may only be loaded closer to departure. Air Arabia’s hubs in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah saw more than 20 flights cancelled or retimed across the three Gulf neighbours. Airport officials said the decisions were precautionary, tied to evolving regional tensions and a new US State Department travel warning covering the wider Middle East. With Dubai International (DXB) and Abu Dhabi Zayed International handling peak summer volumes, operators urged travellers to arrive at least three hours early, complete online check-in and track notifications via airline apps. International airlines are also recalibrating Gulf networks. British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, KLM and several Asian carriers have extended suspensions on Dubai or Abu Dhabi until dates ranging from late August to October, while others including Turkish Airlines and Saudia are gradually restoring frequencies. Gulf-wide air-traffic flow is further complicated by intermittent air-space restrictions and crew-duty limitations. For corporate mobility managers the immediate priority is duty-of-care: ensure employee profiles carry up-to-date contact details, maintain flexible ticketing inventories and confirm that travel insurance covers conflict-related disruptions. Immigration queues remain normal, but experts caution that knock-on effects could appear if a prolonged spike in cancellations forces re-routing through Muscat, Doha or Riyadh, stretching regional capacity. Longer-term, the episode highlights the need for contingency routing in assignment policies—particularly for projects that rely on intra-GCC shuttles. Companies are advised to keep a close eye on NOTAMs (Notices to Airmen) and subscribe to real-time risk-intelligence feeds until the security picture stabilises.