UAE airports warn of delays, cancellations as regional tensions snarl Saturday flight schedules

Airlines operating at Dubai International (DXB), Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International (AUH) and Sharjah International sounded the alarm early on Saturday, 26 September, urging travellers to re-confirm departure times before leaving for the airport. Gulf News reported that renewed regional tensions, including the UAE’s decision two days earlier to suspend services by Iranian carriers, have triggered a fresh wave of knock-on delays across the country’s three busiest hubs. Although Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia all stressed that the majority of services continue to operate, they acknowledged pockets of disruption caused by aircraft and crew rotations being out of position. Airlines have redeployed larger-gauge jets on trunk routes and activated rapid-rebooking policies that allow affected passengers to change dates or destinations without additional fees. Ground-handling teams are also under pressure. According to airport sources, turn-around times have lengthened by 15–20 minutes on average, while the number of wide-body remote stands in use at DXB has doubled. Business-class and premium-economy lounges reported standing-room-only conditions during the morning peak. For corporate travel managers the message is clear: build in additional buffer time and monitor carrier apps in real time. Firms with mobility programmes have been advised to remind assignees entering or leaving the UAE that proof of onward travel and adequate medical insurance are being checked more rigorously at departure control. Logistics specialists say cargo belly-hold capacity remains tight and recommend rerouting time-sensitive shipments through Doha or Riyadh if feasible. Despite the turbulence, analysts do not expect the situation to morph into a full-scale operational crisis. “Unlike the January ATC outage in the United States, we are dealing with rolling delays rather than a nationwide ground stop,” said aviation consultant Mark Taylor. “Nevertheless, travellers should expect elevated disruption for at least the next 48 hours while schedules reset.”