Lufthansa Dubai flights suspension extended; Riyadh services resume September 10

Dubai: UAE travellers flying with the Lufthansa Group will have to wait longer for direct services to resume, with Lufthansa, SWISS and Eurowings continuing to suspend flights to and from Dubai through October 24, according to the group's latest update issued on September 1.

The update comes as the German airline group begins a gradual return to parts of the Middle East, starting with Lufthansa's Frankfurt-Riyadh service on September 10.

The group said it continues to monitor the regional security situation and warned that schedules could still change.

Dubai suspended

Lufthansa, Eurowings and SWISS will continue to suspend their Dubai services through October 24 for operational reasons.

However, Eurowings plans to resume Dubai flights from November 1, making it the first of the three carriers currently expected to return to the route, based on the latest schedule.

The update means UAE passengers travelling to Europe will need to continue considering alternative airlines and routings until services are restored.

Abu Dhabi affected

The wider Lufthansa Group suspension also affects Abu Dhabi.

Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS and Edelweiss have suspended flights to and from Abu Dhabi through October 24. Eurowings' Abu Dhabi services are also suspended until and including October 24, with no specific date yet announced for their return.

The group has also kept several other Middle East routes suspended, including Beirut, Dammam and Muscat through October 24. Flights to Erbil and Tehran remain suspended through October 31.

Riyadh returns

While UAE routes remain affected, Lufthansa is beginning to restore services elsewhere in the region.

The airline will resume flights from Frankfurt to Riyadh on September 10, initially operating three times a week.

Lufthansa also plans to resume daily Frankfurt-Amman flights from October 25, while Austrian Airlines will restart Vienna-Amman services three times a week from October 2.

Changes possible

The Lufthansa Group said it is continuously monitoring and assessing the situation in the Middle East and remains in close contact with authorities.

It stressed that further changes remain possible because of the "dynamic situation".

For UAE travellers, that means checking the status of individual flights before travelling and watching for updates from their airline, particularly as airlines gradually restore some Middle East services while suspensions remain in place on other routes.