UAE flight update: Cancellations and delays hit Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah
Iranian carriers remain suspended amid wider aviation disruption
DUBAI – UAE travellers flying on Saturday are being urged to check their flight status before heading to the airport, with delays and cancellations reported at Dubai International Airport, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah International Airport.
Emirates and Etihad Airways continue to operate services, while flydubai and Air Arabia have reported cancellations and schedule changes on several regional routes.
The UAE has also suspended flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the country until further notice. The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) announced the suspension with effect from September 24, saying the move followed a US ban affecting Iranian airlines' use of airports in various countries.
With schedules changing during the day, passengers are being advised to check directly with their airline and the relevant airport before leaving home. The latest flight information also shows that not every disruption is necessarily linked to regional tensions, with technical and operational issues affecting individual services.
Dubai flights
Several departures from Dubai International Airport (DXB) are facing delays, while two services are listed as cancelled in the latest flight information.
Iran Airtour's Dubai-Tehran flight B9 9720, scheduled for 2.30pm, has been cancelled, while Emirates' Dubai-Amman flight EK902, scheduled for 6.35pm, is also listed as cancelled.
A number of other departures have been pushed back significantly. SpiceJet's Dubai-Kochi SG5118, scheduled for 3.15am, was showing a revised departure of 7.52pm.
A flydubai service to Bangkok Don Mueang, FZ1336/EK2481, moved from 3.25am to 8.28pm. Other flydubai departures also showed revised timings, including services to Moscow Vnukovo, Tashkent, Kazan, Mumbai, Dushanbe, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Astana.
Several Emirates flights were also delayed. EK541 to Ahmedabad moved from 11.10am to 12.37pm, EK505 to Mumbai from 11.45am to 1.10pm, EK511 to New Delhi from 1pm to 2.17pm and EK375 to Bangkok from 1pm to 1.44pm.
Other delays were listed for flights to Kathmandu, Kabul, Faisalabad, Moscow, Ashgabat and other destinations.
Dubai Airports' official flight-status system allows passengers to check individual services by airline, destination or flight number, with separate arrival and departure information.
Abu Dhabi flights
Zayed International Airport is also reporting changes to individual services.
Pakistan International Airlines' Abu Dhabi-Islamabad flight PK261, scheduled for 11.30pm, is listed as cancelled.
Several Air Arabia Abu Dhabi and Etihad codeshare services are operating behind their original timings. These include flights to Kochi, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Calicut and Sialkot.
The Abu Dhabi-Kochi service 3L128/EY1688 was revised from 7.30am to 8.25am, while 3L142/EY1383 to Chennai moved from 7.45am to 8.32am.
The Abu Dhabi-Thiruvananthapuram service 3L134/EY1363 moved from 7.50am to 8.49am, while 3L201/EY1685 to Calicut moved from 7.50am to 8.53am.
The Abu Dhabi-Sialkot service 3L312/EY1428 was revised from 9.20am to 10.57am.
Etihad's own services were also showing delays, including EY489 from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, revised from 12.50pm to 1.42pm, and EY331 to Kochi, moved from 12.55pm to 2.15pm.
Passengers travelling through AUH should check their individual booking before setting out because airport-wide operations do not necessarily reflect the status of a particular flight.
Regional routes
flydubai and Air Arabia are reporting further changes on regional routes.
flydubai has cancelled FZ815 from Dubai to Abha. Its flight-status information also lists FZ811 on the Dubai-Abha route and FZ816 from Abha to Dubai.
Air Arabia has several affected services connecting the UAE with Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
On the Abu Dhabi-Kuwait route, 3L020 and the return 3L021 are cancelled, while 3L022 and 3L023 had not departed at the time of the update.
On the Sharjah-Bahrain route, G9107 is cancelled, G9101 has an updated flight time, and G9103 and G9105 had not departed. The return G9108 is cancelled, G9102 has an updated timing, while G9104 and G9106 had not departed.
Several Sharjah-Kuwait services are also affected. G9068 and G9124 are cancelled, while G9121 had not departed. In the opposite direction, G9069 and G9125 are cancelled and G9122 had not departed.
The Sharjah-Abha services G9195 and G9196 had not departed at the time of the update.
Air Arabia passengers should therefore check the airline's latest flight information before travelling to Sharjah or Abu Dhabi airports.
Iran suspension
The UAE's suspension of Iranian airline services remains in force.
The GCAA announced on September 24 that flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the UAE were suspended until further notice. The authority said it would keep the public informed of developments pending the resumption of normal air traffic between the two countries.
The development comes amid wider restrictions affecting Iranian aviation in the region. The disruption has added another layer of uncertainty for passengers travelling on Iran-linked routes, with individual airlines and airports continuing to publish their own operating information.
International airlines
Several international carriers have suspended, reduced or rescheduled Dubai services, while others have announced dates for returning to the UAE.
Air France, Singapore Airlines, KLM, ITA Airways and SWISS have suspended Dubai services through October 13 or October 24, depending on the airline. Eurowings has Dubai services suspended through October 24, with operations currently scheduled to resume from November 1.
Air Canada has cancelled Dubai flights until mid-January 2027, according to the latest schedule information.
Turkish Airlines has resumed Dubai and Abu Dhabi services, while flights to Tehran remain suspended.
Several carriers are preparing to restore services. Air Astana is scheduled to resume Almaty-Dubai flights from October 1 and Astana-Dubai flights from October 2. Philippine Airlines is due to restart nonstop Manila-Dubai flights on October 2, initially four times a week.
Wizz Air is expected to resume Dubai services around October 24-25, with Abu Dhabi services from October 27. Lufthansa is scheduled to restart Dubai-Frankfurt and Dubai-Munich flights on October 25.
Singapore Airlines has scheduled SQ494 and SQ495 to resume Dubai services on October 24, while SWISS has Dubai-Zurich services scheduled to resume on October 27.
Eurowings plans to restore Dubai flights from Berlin and Stuttgart on November 1, followed by Cologne/Bonn on November 3. British Airways is scheduled to resume Dubai services on November 3, while its Abu Dhabi services remain suspended until winter 2027-28. Austrian Airlines is due to resume Dubai-Vienna services on December 12.
These dates are scheduled changes rather than guarantees that every flight will operate. Airlines can revise services depending on operational and security conditions.
Travel advice
Passengers flying from the UAE on Saturday should check their specific flight shortly before leaving home, even if they already hold a confirmed booking.
Travellers should allow at least three hours before departure, or earlier if their airline provides different instructions. flydubai passengers departing Dubai are advised to allow at least four hours.
Online check-in should be completed where available, while additional time should be allowed for traffic, check-in, security and immigration.
Passengers should keep their phone number and email address updated with their airline so they can receive schedule changes and disruption alerts.
A delay should not automatically be assumed to be caused by the regional conflict. Technical, operational and other airport-related factors can also affect individual flights.
International travel advisories continue to flag possible disruption. The UK advises travellers that the regional situation remains unpredictable and warns of possible flight cancellations and periodic airspace closures.
The US State Department currently lists the UAE at Level 3, “Reconsider Travel”, citing terrorism and armed conflict and warning of significant disruption to commercial flights. Canada advises against non-essential travel to the UAE because of the volatile security situation.