Dubai’s flydubai cancels flights to Iran

Dubai: Dubai carrier flydubai cancelled its flights to Iran on Friday after receiving an official alert, the airline said in a statement.

A spokesperson said that the airline’s April 19 flight FZ 1929 from Dubai to Tehran returned to Dubai due to the closure of Tehran Airport (IKA). 

“In line with the issued NOTAM, our flights to Iran today have been cancelled,” the airline said.

“The safety of our passengers and crew is our priority. We are monitoring the situation closely and will make changes to our flight paths in consultation with the relevant authorities. We will share any further updates once more information becomes available,” the airline said.

Iran's state media reported explosions in central Isfahan Friday, as US media quoted officials saying Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes on its arch-rival.

Dubai's biggest carrier Emirates is yet to confirm any disruptions to its operations amid the retaliatory attacks.

flydubai and Dubai's flagship carrier Emirates experienced serious disruption this week after record rainfall resulted in more than 1,000 flight cancellations at Dubai International - the world's busiest air hubs.

Last week, flydubai, Emirates, Etihad, the flag carrier of the UAE, along with other regional airlines such as Qatar Airways, canceled flights to various Middle Eastern destinations—including Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel—due to airspace closures following Iran's drone attack on Israel. Operations were normalised on Monday, April 15.

According to a Reuters report, airlines had to quickly change flight paths over Iran and divert operations to alternate airports or return planes to their departure points on Friday in response to airspace and airport closures after Israel's attack on Iran. This is according to flight tracking data on FlightRadar24.

Iran closed its airports in Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan after the attack and cleared flights from the western portion of its airspace for a few hours, reported Reuters.