UAE travel update: Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia flights hit by fresh disruptions
Volcanic ash causes major disruption while regional routes face further changes
DUBAI – UAE travellers face fresh flight disruptions on Monday, with cancellations and delays affecting services from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
The most significant new disruption is centred on Jakarta, where volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau has affected operations at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and disrupted Emirates and Etihad services.
Several regional and international routes are also operating with delays or remain suspended as airlines continue to adjust schedules.
Emirates
Emirates has cancelled EK356 and EK358 from Dubai to Jakarta on September 7, with return services EK357 and EK359 from Jakarta to Dubai also cancelled.
The same flight numbers were cancelled on September 6 following disruption at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. Emirates has also stopped accepting Jakarta connecting passengers at their origin until further notice.
Elsewhere, EK076 from Paris to Dubai recorded a delay of more than five hours on September 6, while EK398 from Dubai to Bali was delayed by about one hour.
Etihad Airways
Etihad delayed EY472 from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta on September 6 following the disruption at Jakarta airport. The return EY473 from Jakarta to Abu Dhabi remained heavily delayed on September 7, with an estimated departure time from Jakarta of 18:55 local time.
EY474 and EY475, covering the airline's Jakarta rotations, also recorded cancellations during the disruption period on September 5 and 6.
Other Etihad services experienced shorter delays. EY662 from Doha arrived almost one hour late, EY016 from Charlotte was around 30 minutes behind schedule and EY008 from Boston recorded a 52-minute delay.
EY014 from Atlanta was 25 minutes late, EY100 to Lisbon was delayed by almost 20 minutes and EY542 to Istanbul recorded a 32-minute delay. EY078 to Manchester exceeded one hour of delay, while EY858A to Sochi was 37 minutes behind schedule.
Etihad's Abu Dhabi services to Bahrain and Kuwait have otherwise been mostly operating normally, with no major cancellations reported on those routes.
flydubai
flydubai cancelled FZ023 from Dubai to Bahrain on September 6, with return service FZ024 from Bahrain also cancelled.
Other flights recorded delays, including FZ1736 from Almaty to Dubai, which arrived more than one hour late, FZ642 from Addis Ababa to Dubai, delayed by more than 30 minutes, and FZ1716 from Minsk to Dubai, which was more than two hours behind schedule.
Other Kuwait and Bahrain services continued operating.
flydubai is advising passengers departing from Dubai to allow at least four hours before departure, complete online check-in where available and check their flight status before travelling to the airport.
Air Arabia
Air Arabia cancelled G9107 from Sharjah to Bahrain on September 6 and September 7.
G9068 and G9124 from Sharjah to Kuwait were also cancelled on September 6, while Air Arabia Abu Dhabi cancelled 3L020 from Abu Dhabi to Kuwait.
Several other Air Arabia Abu Dhabi services recorded delays. Flight 3L044 to Kathmandu was 15 minutes late, 3L715 to Tbilisi was delayed by 22 minutes and 3L764 to Tashkent was one hour and 15 minutes behind schedule.
Passengers affected by cancellations should contact Air Arabia for rebooking and refund arrangements.
Jakarta disruption
Indonesia has emerged as the latest major source of disruption for UAE travellers after volcanic ash affected operations at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
The disruption also affected operations at Lampung's Radin Inten II airport. The temporary closure at Jakarta airport affected 209 flights and 22,798 passengers, adding further pressure to international schedules.
The disruption has directly affected UAE-Indonesia services, with Emirates cancelling multiple Dubai-Jakarta flights and Etihad experiencing delays and cancellations on its Jakarta rotations.
Passengers travelling to Indonesia should therefore check both their airline's flight status and any updates concerning their destination airport before departure.
International airlines
Several international carriers continue to maintain extended suspensions on Dubai and Abu Dhabi routes.
Air France has retained its suspension of Dubai services through September 8, while Cathay Pacific has cancelled all passenger services between Hong Kong and Dubai through November 30. Cathay Pacific has offered affected passengers options to rebook, reroute or seek refunds, subject to the applicable conditions.
British Airways continues to suspend Dubai and Abu Dhabi services, with Dubai operations scheduled to resume from October 25 at reduced frequency.
Singapore Airlines has suspended Singapore-Dubai services through October 24. Lufthansa, SWISS and Eurowings have also retained Dubai suspensions through October 24, although Eurowings has scheduled its return from November 1.
KLM has paused Amsterdam-Dubai flights through October 24, while Air Canada continues to suspend direct Dubai services until mid-January 2027.
Finnair, ITA Airways and airBaltic have retained Dubai suspensions through October 24. Philippine Airlines continues to suspend Manila-Dubai services through October 2, while Korean Air's Incheon-Dubai flights remain suspended until further notice.
Other delays
Disruptions have also been recorded on a number of other UAE-linked services.
Airblue cancelled PA430 from Lahore to the UAE on September 6. Kam Air's RQ965 from Khost recorded a delay exceeding 30 minutes, while Pobeda's DP762 to Makhachkala was delayed by almost two hours.
UTair's UT734 to Grozny recorded around 90 minutes of delay, Varesh Airlines flight VRH6801 was almost one hour late and Saudia's SV570 to Jeddah recorded an 18-minute delay.
The latest changes come as airlines continue adjusting aircraft rotations, crew deployment and airport operating plans. Passengers should check airline alerts and their booking details before travelling, even when a flight was previously confirmed.
Travellers flying from Dubai on flydubai should allow four hours at the airport, while passengers on other airlines should arrive at least three hours before departure unless their carrier provides different instructions. Online check-in should be completed where available, with additional time allowed for traffic, security, immigration and airport procedures.