Travellers moving through the UAE’s three busiest airports experienced another wave of schedule changes on Saturday, 19 September 2026. Gulf carriers Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia all issued advisories after dozens of services were either cancelled outright or given revised departure slots. At Dubai International (DXB) – the world’s busiest international hub – flydubai scrubbed multiple rotations to Bahrain, Abha and Yanbu, while SpiceJet dropped its afternoon Dubai–Mumbai flight. Even flagship carrier Emirates was not immune: long-haul departures to Barcelona, Moscow, Nairobi and Bangkok all left more than an hour late. Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport reported a similar pattern. Etihad pushed back flights to Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Islamabad, and several Air Arabia codeshare services were delayed. In Sharjah, Air Arabia cancelled or rescheduled services linking the emirate to Abha, Kuwait and Bahrain. Air-traffic managers said the disruptions stem from a mix of operational issues and continuing regional security uncertainties linked to the conflict between the US and Iran. Capacity recovery remains uneven: Dubai Airports estimates DXB is operating at 84 per cent of pre-crisis airline capacity and 78 per cent of pre-crisis passenger volumes. While British Airways plans to return on 4 November and Wizz Air on 25 October, other major carriers such as Lufthansa, SWISS, Singapore Airlines and KLM have extended suspensions until at least 24 October. For business travellers and mobility managers, the message is clear: build extra buffers into itineraries, check flight status up to the last minute and keep contingency accommodation on standby. Companies with rotational staff or assignees transiting through the Gulf should review duty-of-care protocols, ensure travellers have flexible tickets and encourage registration with their embassy’s crisis-alert service. Although the UAE’s aviation rebound is gathering pace, a full return to predictable schedules is unlikely until regional tensions ease and airlines regain unrestricted access to Gulf airspace.
Source: Gulf News
