Flying from UAE to Bahrain or Kuwait? Which airlines are operating now

Dubai: Passengers travelling from the UAE to Bahrain and Kuwait continue to face a patchwork of flight cancellations and limited resumptions, as airlines assess the security situation following months of disruption caused by the US-Iran war.

While some UAE carriers have cancelled services or have yet to confirm when flights will resume, flydubai continues to operate a limited number of services to both destinations, while Qatar Airways and several regional airlines have also resumed flights.

Kuwait has been heavily affected by the conflict, enduring Iranian drone and missile strikes since the war erupted in late February.

The breakdown of the June peace accord in mid-July triggered another wave of direct strikes against Bahrain and Kuwait, disrupting regional air travel and leading to widespread cancellations and restrictions on airspace.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has extended its urgent conflict-zone advisory, warning airlines to avoid the airspace of Bahrain and Kuwait until August 31.

Major Western carriers including British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM and Air France have pushed back their regional relaunch dates.

Etihad Airways flights between Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport and Bahrain International Airport have been cancelled due to operational reasons.

The airline has also cancelled flights EY653 and EY654 between Abu Dhabi and Kuwait International Airport due to operational reasons.

Flights can be booked on Etihad's website after August 11. However, the airline has yet to confirm whether the disruption affecting Abu Dhabi services to Kuwait and Bahrain will be extended. Gulf News is awaiting a response from the airline.

For Dubai (DXB) to Kuwait (KWI) on Tuesday, August 11, Emirates currently lists flight status as unavailable.

The airline states: "Updates on flight status will be available 24 hours before departure. At this time, we do not have any flight status information to display."

The same applies to flights between Dubai and Bahrain.

flydubai is among the UAE carriers continuing to operate limited services to both Kuwait and Bahrain.

For Kuwait, flights FZ059 and FZ063 are scheduled to operate today and tomorrow.

For Bahrain, flights FZ029, FZ023 and FZ021 are scheduled to operate today and tomorrow.

Passengers should check their individual flight status before travelling, as schedules remain subject to operational changes.

Air Arabia's G9068 and G9124 services from Sharjah to Kuwait have been cancelled.

The airline has also cancelled G9107 between Sharjah and Bahrain for August 10 and 11.

While some UAE services remain disrupted, several regional carriers are operating flights to Bahrain and Kuwait.

Qatar Airways resumed passenger flights from Doha to Bahrain and Kuwait on August 8.

The resumptions restore direct regional capacity from Hamad International Airport to the two Gulf markets.

Saudi carrier Saudia is operating several services to both destinations.

Flights listed as operating as scheduled include:

SalamAir is operating flights from Muscat to Kuwait.

Oman Air is also operating flights from Muscat to Kuwait, while its Muscat-Bahrain services are operating as scheduled.

Bahrain's national carrier, Gulf Air, is also operating flights. Kuwait carriers Al Jazeera Airways and Kuwait Airways are operating flights to the UAE.

The latest schedules show that there is no uniform regional restart for Bahrain and Kuwait. Instead, airlines are making different decisions based on operational and security assessments.

For UAE passengers, flydubai currently has scheduled services to both Kuwait and Bahrain, while Air Arabia and Etihad have cancellations affecting these routes. Emirates has not yet provided flight-status information for the August 11 services to either destination.

Passengers should therefore check directly with their airline before leaving for the airport, particularly because flight schedules can change at short notice amid the ongoing conflict and airspace restrictions.