US-Iran war: What UAE residents need to know this evening, September 19

Dubai: The regional security situation continues to shape daily life, from flight schedules to airport operations across the Gulf. Here's a round-up of today's key developments and what they mean for residents.

Regional developments

Saudi Arabia's Civil Defence said the danger had passed in Riyadh and Al Kharj early Saturday, after residents reported hearing explosions and receiving an air raid alert issued by the National Early Warning Platform for Emergency Cases. Authorities urged residents to keep following safety instructions and to avoid gathering or filming near the affected areas. The alert was the first of its kind since fighting in Yemen intensified this month.

Later the same day, an Aramco fuel tank near Riyadh's international airport caught fire. Saudi authorities said the incident was under investigation.

The UN Security Council condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi civilian and energy infrastructure, demanding an immediate end to the escalation and reaffirming its commitment to Yemen's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Houthis, in turn, said Saudi forces had carried out 26 strikes on their positions over the past 24 hours, adding that the total number of Saudi strikes had reached 300 over the past week.

Elsewhere in the region, Syria's defence ministry held a funeral for 11 soldiers killed in an explosion at a military site in Deir Ezzor province, an incident that remains under investigation. In Iran, the Interior Ministry acknowledged growing public concern over record high inflation, with officials saying that repairing homes, public facilities and infrastructure damaged in the recent conflict remains the government's top priority.

Iran also said it struck a Togo flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz this week, describing the vessel's passage as an unauthorised attempt to transit the waterway, while a separate tanker was reportedly hit by an unknown projectile while leaving the strait. India, whose shipping has been affected by the tensions, told the UN Security Council that commercial maritime traffic must not become a target of geopolitical disputes, and reiterated its support for free and secure passage through the Gulf.

A 14 nation maritime coalition said this week it had reached initial operational capability, with its stated goal being to protect shipping routes around the Arabian Peninsula, including the Red Sea and the Bab Al Mandeb Strait, from ongoing threats.

Flight updates

The Aramco fuel tank fire caused major disruption at King Khalid International Airport, with flight tracking site FlightRadar24 recording widespread delays and cancellations through the day.

In the UAE, a number of flights also saw cancellations and delays today. Airport and airline sources note these disruptions stem from a mix of causes, some potentially linked to the wider regional situation and others operational or technical.

At Dubai International Airport:

• flydubai cancelled flights to Bahrain (FZ023/FZ024), Abha (FZ815/FZ816) and Yanbu (FZ817/FZ818)

• SpiceJet's Dubai to Mumbai flight (SG5113) was cancelled

• Several other services departed later than scheduled, including flights to Barcelona, Belgrade, Moscow, Nairobi, Almaty, Peshawar, Minsk, Ahmedabad, Islamabad, Amritsar, New Delhi and Bangkok

At Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport:

• Etihad flights to Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Islamabad saw revised departure times

• Air Arabia and Etihad codeshare flights to Ahmedabad and Calicut were also delayed

• Air Arabia reported cancellations on routes linking Abu Dhabi and Kuwait, and disruption on services between Abu Dhabi and Bahrain

Sharjah was affected as well, with Air Arabia cancelling several routes to and from Abha, Kuwait and Bahrain.

International carriers continue to return to the UAE in stages:

• British Airways: Dubai bookings open from November 4, starting with one daily flight before rising to two in summer. Abu Dhabi services are not expected to resume until winter 2027 to 2028

• Air France: Dubai flights remain suspended through October 13

• Wizz Air: preparing to resume Dubai flights from October 25 and Abu Dhabi from October 27, with 12 routes and 49 weekly flights planned across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah and Amman

• Air Astana: resuming Dubai flights from Almaty on October 1 and from Astana on October 2, with capacity rising gradually through the month

• Lufthansa, SWISS, KLM and AirBaltic: remain suspended through October 24

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

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

• ITA Airways: Rome to Riyadh flights have resumed, but Dubai services remain suspended through October 24

• Philippine Airlines: suspended until October 2

• Turkish Airlines: has resumed flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Damascus, Beirut and Amman, though flights to Tehran remain suspended

• Air Canada: return pushed to mid January 2027

• Virgin Atlantic: return pushed to October 2027, with tickets expected to go on sale later this year

Travel advisories

Travel advisories continue to reflect the uncertainty. The UK has lifted its blanket warning against all but essential travel to the UAE but still flags unpredictable regional tensions and possible flight cancellations. The US keeps the UAE at Level 3, Reconsider Travel, citing terrorism, armed conflict and significant commercial flight disruption, with Saudi Arabia at the same level.

Australia's Smartraveller advisory continues to recommend that travellers reconsider their need to visit the UAE, citing the unpredictable security situation and possible airspace closures. Canada is advising a high degree of caution for the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, and has told travellers to keep their documents current and maintain supplies in case they need to shelter in place.

Before you fly

Residents and travellers are advised to check their flight status directly with their airline before heading to the airport, as schedules can change at short notice. Flydubai has reminded passengers that check-in counters close 60 minutes before scheduled departure, unless the airline advises otherwise by SMS or email.