Emirates and Etihad Airways on August 3 confirmed that they will continue to suspend several daily services from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Bahrain and Kuwait “until further notice”, citing operational challenges created by a resurgence of regional hostilities. The decision marks the third consecutive week of targeted route cancellations for the two flag-carriers. According to updated timetables, Emirates flights EK835/837/839 to Manama and EK853/855/857/859 to Kuwait City remain grounded, while Etihad has pulled EY653/654 on the Abu Dhabi–Kuwait rotation and all Abu Dhabi–Bahrain flights. Rival low-cost operators Flydubai and Air Arabia are still operating a limited schedule, illustrating the patch-work nature of current air-space risk assessments across the Gulf. Although the wider UAE network continues to function normally, aviation analysts warn that even selective suspensions can disrupt corporate mobility programmes. Travellers with multi-sector itineraries are being re-routed through Doha and Riyadh, adding cost and travel-time just as the region enters its late-summer business-conference season. Freight forwarders are also feeling the pinch: automotive and pharmaceutical shippers who rely on overnight belly-hold capacity to Bahrain’s free-trade zone now face a 48-hour delivery lag. Employers have been advised to monitor carriers’ travel-waiver policies, which currently allow full refunds or free re-booking within 30 days, and to remind staff that travel-insurance coverage for conflict-related disruption can vary widely by provider. Mobility managers with critical assignee moves scheduled this month are increasingly turning to charter or split-routing solutions via Dammam or Muscat to keep relocation timelines on track. The UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) reiterated that there is no blanket flight ban and that security services continue to review air-space risk in real time. However, regional observers note that the targeted nature of the cancellations underscores how quickly geopolitical flashpoints can ripple through the Gulf’s integrated travel ecosystem — a sober reminder for multinationals that contingency planning remains essential for assignments in the region.
Source: Khaleej Times
