Dubai Flight Suspensions: Which Airlines Are Still Paused and When They Return

More than a dozen international airlines still have Dubai flights suspended, with published restart dates running from the end of August through October and, in one case, into 2027.Dubai’s airports are open and operating normally — the suspensions are decisions taken by individual carriers, most of them European, following an aviation safety advisory issued in July. Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia continue to operate broadly, although some individual regional routes may still be adjusted or suspended.

Key takeaways

• Restart dates run from 31 August to 25 October, with Air Canada not returning until 2027.

• A major factor is EASA advisory CZIB-2026-07R1, which advises EASA-regulated operators not to use UAE airspace while the bulletin remains active.

• Dates have been revised more than once. Confirm with your airline, not with a news report.

Dubai’s airports are open — the suspensions are airline decisions

The distinction matters, because the two get confused constantly.

Dubai International (DXB) is operating and publishing live flight information as normal. What has changed is that a group of foreign airlines have individually chosen to keep Dubai off their schedules. If your ticket is with Emirates, Etihad, flydubai or Air Arabia, this story does not affect you. If it is with a European, Canadian or East Asian carrier, it may.

That split is the single most useful thing to understand: UAE-based airlines are flying, and a significant number of foreign ones are not.

Which airlines still have Dubai flights suspended?

The table below reflects each airline’s most recently published position. Restart dates in this situation have moved more than once, and some carriers have revised the same route twice. Treat these as the last announced position, not a guarantee, and confirm with the airline before making plans.

Last updated: 26 August 2026. Airline schedules in the region are changing frequently. The dates below reflect the latest airline announcements available at the time of publication and should not be treated as guaranteed departure dates.

Air France update: Flights between Paris and Dubai were scheduled to resume on 26 August 2026. Because operations remain subject to security assessments and last-minute changes, passengers should confirm the live flight status directly with Air France before travelling.

Two dates that need care. Reporting on Aegean’s restart has ranged from the end of August to early October, and Air Canada’s has been revised from October to a date in January 2027. Both airlines have changed their published position during the disruption. Passengers holding tickets on either should treat only the airline’s own confirmation as current.

Which airlines are flying normally

The UAE’s four carriers have kept their networks running throughout.

Emirates has been operating more than 1,300 flights a week to 137 destinations across 72 countries, according to its most recent network disclosure. A small number of regional routes — Baghdad among them — remain out of the schedule with their own restart dates.

Etihad Airways entered July running its largest-ever summer programme at more than 300 daily flights, and expanded rather than reduced service on some routes during the period.

flydubai and Air Arabia are both operating.

For passengers, this creates a practical option worth knowing about: where a foreign carrier has dropped Dubai, a UAE carrier often still serves the same city, and Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah remain reachable even when a specific Dubai route is unavailable.

Why this is happening

Many of the European suspensions are linked to aviation safety assessments for Gulf airspace, including EASA’s active CZIB-2026-07R1. Other airlines have made their own security and operational assessments, so there is no single rule governing every carrier.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued CZIB-2026-07 on 14 July 2026 and later revised it as CZIB-2026-07R1. The active bulletin advises EASA-regulated operators not to use UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar airspace at any altitude while it remains in force.

That explains the pattern in the table. The suspended list is dominated by European carriers, because EASA’s advisory applies to them. Non-European airlines on the list have made comparable assessments under their own regulators.

This also helps explain why UAE carriers have maintained broader operations. They are not subject to EASA’s operator rules, although they continue to make their own safety assessments and operate under UAE aviation authorities.

If your flight has been cancelled

If the airline cancels your flight, available options may include a refund, free rebooking or alternative routing. Your exact rights depend on the airline, route, applicable passenger-rights rules and your ticket conditions, so check the carrier’s disruption policy before accepting an option.

If several alternatives are offered, compare the refund, rebooking and rerouting options before deciding which one works best for your trip.

How to check your flight before you travel

1. Your airline’s own website or app first. This is the only source that reflects your specific booking.
2. Dubai Airports’ live flight information for the status of individual flights in and out of DXB.
3. Your airline’s travel advisory page, which is where restart dates are published before they reach the news.

News coverage, including this article, is a summary of what airlines have announced. It is not a substitute for checking your booking.