- Fifteen airlines have suspended flights to Dubai, with restart dates ranging from October 2, 2026, to October 2027.
- Korean Air and Pegasus have no restart date, leaving some Dubai routes open-ended.
- Passenger traffic was down more than 30% in the first half of 2026 versus last year.
15 airlines have suspended flights to Dubai, with planned returns ranging from October 2, 2026, to October 2027. Korean Air and Pegasus have set no restart date, leaving passengers on some routes facing open-ended disruption.
The affected carriers are Air Canada, Air France, airBaltic, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, ITA Airways, Korean Air, KLM, Lufthansa, Eurowings, Philippine Airlines, Pegasus, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.
Free toolB1/B2 Tourist Visa Stay Calculator online
The timelines vary widely. Air Canada has pushed its return to mid-January 2027, while Virgin Atlantic’s suspension runs until October 2027. Cathay Pacific has paused service through November 30, and British Airways has indicated a November return in later passenger guidance.
Several European airlines have listed October 24 as their current end date. That group includes Lufthansa, SWISS, Eurowings, KLM, ITA Airways, Finnair and airBaltic.
Air France has issued different dates in successive updates. One notice placed the end of its pause on September 19, while another extended it through October 13.
British Airways has also published more than one return date. An earlier notice pointed to October 25 at reduced frequency, while later passenger guidance cited November 3 or November 4.
British Airways linked the changes to regional operating conditions.
"Due to ongoing uncertainty and airspace restrictions, some of our flights in the region have been cancelled or temporarily suspended, including services to and from Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha Dubai, Tel Aviv, and Riyadh."
The airline’s regional changes include Abu Dhabi as well as the main Dubai route. It plans to keep Abu Dhabi service suspended into the winter 2027-28 season.
Return dates split the airlines into short and long suspensions
The current schedules create several clusters rather than one common restart date.
| Airline or group | Current suspension or planned return |
|---|---|
| Philippine Airlines | Manila service due to resume October 2, 2026 |
| Singapore Airlines, ITA Airways, Finnair, airBaltic, Lufthansa, SWISS and KLM | Listed through October 24, 2026 |
| Eurowings | Planned restart November 1, 2026 |
| Cathay Pacific | Dubai and Riyadh services through November 30, 2026 |
| Air Canada | Suspended until mid-January 2027 |
| Virgin Atlantic | Suspended until October 2027 |
Philippine Airlines is the first of the named carriers with a specific near-term return date. Its Manila route is scheduled to resume October 2.
Eurowings has paired its October 24 suspension date with a planned November 1 restart. The dates leave a short gap between the listed pause and the expected return.
Cathay Pacific’s suspension covers both Dubai and Riyadh. Its current end date is November 30, 2026.
Air Canada and Virgin Atlantic extend the disruption much further. Their schedules place the next expected returns in 2027, rather than in the autumn 2026 group.
The disruption extends beyond one airport and one route
Pegasus has suspended services to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah until further notice. The carrier’s decision affects three airports in the United Arab Emirates rather than one city pair.
A regional disruption update counted 172 flights affected across Dubai and Abu Dhabi. At the same time, Air India and Air India Express restored around 780 weekly flights across India–GCC routes.
Those figures show how uneven the network response has become. Some airlines are cutting individual services, while others are restoring capacity on wider regional corridors.
Korean Air has suspended its Incheon service until further notice. Pegasus has taken the same open-ended approach for its three UAE destinations.
The European airlines with October 24 dates include Singapore Airlines, ITA Airways, Finnair, airBaltic, Lufthansa, SWISS and KLM. Their schedules remain tied to a common review point, although the updates do not establish that every carrier will restart on the same day.
Air France’s notices illustrate the uncertainty. Its September 19 date appeared in one update, while a later advisory cited October 13. British Airways likewise moved from an October 25 possibility to November 3 or November 4 in later guidance.
Other carriers are still flying, showing an uneven recovery
The airport’s traffic has remained under pressure. Passenger traffic was reported down more than 30% in H1 2026 versus the same period last year.
Yet the network is not completely shut down. Turkish Airlines has resumed services to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, while Qatar Airways is operating multiple daily flights to Dubai.
Airlines are therefore making route-by-route decisions rather than following a single industry timetable. Some have assigned fixed dates, some have extended pauses into 2027, and two have left their return plans open.
The next dates passengers will encounter are October 2 for Philippine Airlines, October 24 for the large European group, November 1 for Eurowings and November 30 for Cathay Pacific. Those dates remain the key schedule markers across the affected routes.
