UAE travellers face flight delays and some cancellations

Dubai: Passengers travelling through Dubai and Abu Dhabi faced cancellations and lengthy delays on Wednesday, September 23, with some flights to India running more than eight hours behind schedule and services involving Tehran and Muscat also affected.

Flight information showed disruption across Dubai International Airport, Dubai World Central and Abu Dhabi, covering departures and arrivals on routes including Kozhikode, Delhi, Kochi, Mumbai, Tehran, Muscat, Riyadh and several European cities.

Passengers travelling on Wednesday should check their latest flight status before leaving for the airport, particularly where departure times have moved by several hours.

Dubai departures face long delays

One of the longest delays among Dubai departures was on BS342D to Dhaka, which had been scheduled for 2.20 am and was showing a revised departure time of 12.20 pm.

SpiceJet flight SG5153 to Kozhikode, originally scheduled for noon, appeared in the delay listings with a revised departure time of 8.25 pm, while SG5117 to Kochi was pushed from 3.40 pm to 11.55 pm.

Air India Express flight IX346, also listed as AI9096, was delayed from 11.55 am to 1.20 pm, while Saudi flight SV563 to Riyadh moved from 10.40 am to 11.30 am.

The supplied flight information also listed cancellations for SpiceJet services to Kozhikode, Jaipur and Delhi, a Pakistan International Airlines service to Lahore and another SpiceJet Delhi service later in the day.

SG5153 to Kozhikode and SG5106 to Delhi appeared in both cancellation and delay listings, meaning passengers booked on those services should check the latest status directly before travelling.

At Dubai World Central, TBZ6608 to Tehran, scheduled to depart at noon, was cancelled.

Arrivals into Dubai also affected

Several inbound flights were running hours behind schedule.

SpiceJet flight SG5118 from Kochi, originally due at 3.15 am, was listed for arrival at 11.47 am, while SG5060 from Mumbai moved from 11 am to 7.25 pm.

Flydubai flight FZ1716 from Minsk was delayed from 8.25 am to 1.42 pm, while FZ970 from Moscow Vnukovo moved from 2.45 pm to 7.06 pm.

Other delayed arrivals included flights from Moscow, Edinburgh, Riyadh, Saint Petersburg, Amritsar, Islamabad, Kozhikode, Bangkok, Baghdad, Multan, Tbilisi, Los Angeles, Chisinau, Catania, Belgrade and Sarajevo.

Cancelled arrivals included TBZ6607 from Tehran at Dubai World Central, FZ816 from Abha and Emirates flight EK902 from Amman.

Abu Dhabi services disrupted

Passengers using Abu Dhabi also faced changes on Wednesday.

Oman Air flight WY636 to Muscat, scheduled for 8.55 pm, was cancelled, while 3L431 to Cairo was delayed from 5.55 pm to 7.15 pm.

Inbound Etihad flight EY552 from Riyadh was delayed from 7.10 am to 11.01 am, while 3L044 from Kathmandu moved from 1.05 pm to 2.08 pm.

Flight 3L715 from Tbilisi was delayed from 4.50 pm to 6.35 pm, while Oman Air flight WY635 from Muscat, scheduled to arrive at 8.05 pm, was cancelled.

Sharjah also saw a series of cancellations on September 23, with Air Arabia services G9070 to Gassim, G9068 and G9124 to Kuwait, G9107 to Bahrain, and G9040 and G9027 to Doha all cancelled. Flydubai flight FZ815 from Dubai to Abha, scheduled to depart at 4.45am and arrive at 6.35am, was also cancelled.

Iran aviation restrictions take effect

The disruption comes alongside new restrictions affecting Iranian aviation.

Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization said flights from Tehran to Baghdad and Muscat would be cancelled from midnight Wednesday, with authorities discussing alternative arrangements for Baghdad-bound services.

“For this reason, we are coordinating and consulting so that flights destined for Baghdad will be directed to Najaf airport,” Civil Aviation Organization spokesman Majid Akhavan said.

The US Treasury earlier announced sanctions targeting 36 entities linked to Iran’s aviation sector, while US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said companies providing services to Iranian airlines could face secondary sanctions.

Bessent said companies handling Iranian carriers “cannot provide them with fuel, you cannot provide them with landing services, you cannot sell them tickets, or you will be knocked out of the dollar system”.

More Europe flights return from October

Passengers travelling between Dubai and Europe will meanwhile have more options from next month, with up to 36 weekly flights set to return across several routes.

Lufthansa will resume Dubai services to Munich and Frankfurt from October 25, followed by SWISS flights between Dubai and Zurich from October 27.

Eurowings will restart connections with Berlin, Stuttgart and Cologne/Bonn from November 1, while Austrian Airlines will bring back its Dubai to Vienna service from December 12.

The restored schedules will provide up to 36 weekly flights between Dubai and the listed European cities during the winter travel season.

Kuwait denies transit flights will start from October 1

Kuwait’s Public Authority of Civil Aviation has denied reports that an airline operating at Kuwait International Airport will launch transit flights from October 1.

Authority spokesperson Abdullah Al-Rajhi told the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on Tuesday that the reports were inaccurate and that airlines operating at the airport had not been informed or notified of any decision to begin transit flights from the date mentioned.

International airlines: UAE flight status and return dates

International airlines are gradually restoring UAE services, but several carriers continue to suspend or reduce flights as they monitor regional conditions.

• British Airways: Dubai bookings are open from November 4, initially with one daily flight in winter, increasing to two daily services in summer. Abu Dhabi services are not expected to return until winter 2027-28.

• Air France: Dubai flights remain suspended through October 13, 2026.

• Wizz Air: Dubai services are expected to resume from October 25 and Abu Dhabi flights from October 27.

• Air Astana: Dubai flights from Almaty resume October 1 and from Astana on October 2, with capacity increasing gradually through October.

• Eurowings: Dubai flights suspended through October 24, with services currently scheduled to resume November 1.

• SWISS: Dubai flights suspended through October 24.

• Singapore Airlines: Dubai flights SQ494 and SQ495 cancelled through October 24.

• KLM: Dubai flights suspended through October 24.

• ITA Airways: Dubai services suspended through October 24.

• AirBaltic: Riga-Dubai flights suspended through October 24.

• Philippine Airlines: Dubai flights suspended until October 2.

• Turkish Airlines: Dubai and Abu Dhabi services have resumed, while Tehran flights remain suspended.

• Air Canada: Dubai flights cancelled until mid-January 2027.

• Virgin Atlantic: Dubai services pushed back to October 2027.

Travel advice is changing

Travel advisories have eased in some countries, but governments continue to warn of possible disruption as regional security conditions remain fluid.

• UK: The FCDO has removed its broad warning against all but essential travel to the UAE, but continues to warn of possible flight cancellations and airspace disruption.

• US: The UAE remains at Level 3 – Reconsider Travel, with Washington citing terrorism, armed conflict and commercial flight disruption.

• Australia: Travellers are advised to reconsider their need to travel to the UAE amid the unpredictable regional security situation and potential airspace closures.

• Canada: Travellers are advised to exercise a high degree of caution in the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.

Check your flight before travelling

Passengers should check directly with their airline before leaving for the airport, as schedules can change at short notice.

Flydubai advises passengers that check-in closes 60 minutes before scheduled departure, unless the airline provides different instructions by SMS or email.