Complete list of UAE’s Emirates, Etihad, Air Arabia, flydubai flight launches in 2026

Dubai: Carriers based in the United Arab Emirates are not pressing the brakes on expansion in 2026 — with new destinations across Europe, North America, Central Asia and beyond planned by Emirates, Etihad and other operators.

Travellers from the UAE will for the first time see direct flights to Helsinki and Calgary, and Etihad is adding multiple cities from its Abu Dhabi hub.

Etihad Airways in 2026 is rolling out an extensive list of new services from its Abu Dhabi base.

The airline will add flights to a mix of cultural capitals and emerging markets, with multiple city launches clustering in March and beyond: Baku (Azerbaijan), Yerevan (Armenia), Tbilisi (Georgia), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Bucharest (Romania) and Tashkent (Uzbekistan).

In addition to these regular routes, seasonal services to Palma de Mallorca (Spain) and Zanzibar (Tanzania) will run through the summer, and a new connection to Charlotte, North Carolina adds another US destination to Etihad’s growing transatlantic network.

Etihad will also resume flights to Damascus, Syria, four times weekly from June 2026, emphasising links with communities and commerce across the region. “This new route reflects our commitment to connecting people to the places that matter most,” Etihad CEO Antonoaldo Neves said.

He added, “With trade between the UAE and Syria continuing to grow strongly, and with a vibrant Syrian community contributing to the prosperity of the UAE, these new flights will further strengthen our social, cultural, and economic ties.”

A strategic partnership with Germany’s Condor will see daily flights from Frankfurt and Berlin into Abu Dhabi, broadening inbound connectivity for European visitors.

Dubai's flag carrier Emirates continues to refine and grow its schedule in 2026. A landmark addition is a daily, non-stop service between Dubai and Helsinki — the first direct link between the UAE and Finland.

In addition to new city launches, Emirates will increase frequencies on existing major long-haul routes such as Tokyo Narita, giving travellers more flexibility on popular city pairs.

flydubai is also widening its European footprint, building on the momentum from a wave of route announcements in recent seasons.

The carrier has already added new points such as Iași, Riga, Vilnius and Chișinău, markets that were previously underserved by direct links to Dubai.

These additions feed both point-to-point demand and connecting traffic into Emirates’ long-haul network, a partnership that has become central to Dubai’s aviation model.

While further 2026 announcements are still to come, the direction of travel is clear: more secondary European cities, more direct access, and a steady widening of the map for passengers departing from Dubai.

Air Arabia will boost its presence to the UK with Sharjah–London Gatwick flights, offering twice-daily non-stop service to one of Europe’s busiest hubs, operated with Airbus A321neo LR aircraft.

The move gives travellers in the Northern Emirates additional options to reach the British capital without travelling through Dubai or Abu Dhabi, while also supporting inbound tourism flows.

Flights are expected to be operated by the Airbus A321neo LR, the aircraft that has enabled the airline to operate longer sectors while maintaining its low-cost model. The added capacity underlines how Air Arabia continues to test demand for affordable medium- and long-haul travel from the UAE.