UAE travel advisory: Flight cancellations, Gulf airspace warnings — what travellers need to know now

Dubai: Travellers flying to and from the UAE face a shifting picture this week, with a new mandatory health form for India-bound passengers, fresh flight cancellations in Saudi Arabia, and airlines across the Gulf and beyond continuing to adjust schedules amid ongoing regional tensions.

Here's a full breakdown of what's changed.

The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) continues to advise against all travel to areas within 10km of Saudi Arabia's border with Yemen, and against all but essential travel to locations between 10km and 80km from the border.

 In its latest update, the FCDO said the regional security situation remains unpredictable despite the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, warning that attacks could resume at short notice.

British nationals are advised to monitor local developments, avoid military and security facilities, keep travel plans under review, and ensure they have valid travel insurance, as policies may be invalidated if they travel against official government advice.

UAE-based travellers heading to India need to complete Air Suvidha 2.0, a mandatory digital health declaration, before boarding. The update is a response to the WHO declaring the Ebola/Bundibugyo outbreak in the DR Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

The Self-Declaration Form can be completed up to 24 hours before arrival at airsuvidha.civilaviation.gov.in, with no paperwork needed on landing — travellers simply show the downloaded form at the health desk or immigration counter.

Saudi Arabia has seen a second straight day of disruption after Abha International Airport was struck by Houthi missiles and drones — the first major escalation between the group and the kingdom in several years. No casualties were reported.

At least 11 departures from Abha were cancelled on Wednesday, including flights to Dubai and Sharjah: four to Riyadh, four to Jeddah, two to Dubai and one to Sharjah. Six were Saudia flights, with flyadeal cancelling two Jeddah services.

Flydubai cancelled flights FZ815 and FZ811, and Air Arabia cancelled flight G9195 to Sharjah. Tuesday had already seen at least 10 departures axed on routes connecting Abha with Dubai, Sharjah, Riyadh and Jeddah.

Canada updated its Saudi Arabia advisory on 14 July, urging a high degree of caution nationwide and advising against non-essential travel to Abha Airport itself, all travel within 30km of the Yemen border, and non-essential travel between 30km and 80km of it. Al Qatif Governorate and zones near the Iraqi border, Hafr Al Batin and Khafji are also flagged.

The US maintains its Level 3 "reconsider travel" advisory, with parts of the country under Level 4, citing missile and drone attacks, Houthi threats and the risk of falling debris; it also warns of possible exit bans and penalties over social media activity.

Etihad Airways
No major cancellations or delays reported. However, Etihad Airways flight EY447 from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) to Zayed International Airport (AUH) on July 15 has been delayed due to a technical issue.
Etihad Airways is also entering its largest summer season ever, operating more than 300 daily flights, carrying near-record passenger loads, and launching or returning service to and from nine destinations within days as demand for travel to, from, and through Abu Dhabi continues to accelerate.

Emirates
No major cancellations or delays reported. The airline said it is expecting a high volume of passengers travelling from Dubai during the summer peak travel season. Emirates is currently flying to 137 destinations across 72 countries as it rebuilds its network, with rebooking or refunds available depending on booking conditions.
Over the weekend, Emirates flight EK789 landed at Accra International Airport for the first time, marking the next phase of growth for the airline in Ghana. It has also introduced a new flexible payment solution for its Indian customers, allowing travellers to pay conveniently in affordable monthly instalments.
Emirates also announced it has reached a landmark 100 aircraft refurbished under its retrofit programme, the largest known undertaken by any airline globally.

flydubai
Ramping up operations, with Dubai International expected to be busier than usual. Passengers are advised to check in online, confirm baggage allowance and arrive four hours early.
flydubai has also announced the resumption and expansion of its network operations into Syria with the launch of a new daily non-stop service to Aleppo International Airport (ALP). It celebrated its first flight to Bangkok earlier this month.

Air Arabia
Increasing operations from its three UAE hubs: Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah. On July 14, Air Arabia announced the inauguration of its new nonstop service between Sharjah International Airport and Rome Fiumicino Airport.
Air Arabia also announced the commencement of its new double daily non-stop service connecting Sharjah International Airport with London Gatwick Airport. The inaugural flight took off on July 4.

Qatar Airways
Expanding to more than 160 destinations from Doha under a schedule running until September 15. Last month, the Doha-based airline announced the resumption of daily flights between its Doha home base and Philadelphia (PHL), effective August 1. It has also expanded the number of daily services between Doha and Dubai from two to five.

Oman Air and SalamAir
Oman Air and SalamAir have significantly boosted capacity on the popular Muscat–Salalah route for July, adding a combined 192 extra flights and 35,639 additional seats to meet peak Khareef travel demand.
Together, the airlines will offer more than 4,505 seats a day on the busiest travel dates. Meanwhile, new direct international flights from Bahrain, Dubai, Dammam and Baghdad are expected to bring thousands more visitors to Salalah during the season.

Gulf Air
Gradually restoring services after Bahrain's airspace reopened, including London, Dubai, Istanbul and Riyadh. The airline also launched flights to El Alamein last month and it welcomed its latest Airbus A321neo, growing the fleet to 46 aircraft.

Saudia
Saudi Arabia’s national carrier has partially resumed Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman services on a limited daily schedule. The airline said the schedule would include flights between Jeddah and Dubai and between Abu Dhabi and Amman, and that return services would also operate on the same routes.

flynas
flynas announced the launch of new direct flights between Riyadh and Aleppo in Syria, starting August 1. It also celebrated the inauguration of direct flights between Riyadh and Alexandria. The budget carrier also celebrated the launch of direct flights between Riyadh and Munich and Budapest as part of its expanded Summer 2026 network, which features more than 25 international destinations worldwide.
The Summer 2026 network includes Milan, Krakow, Geneva, Rize, Antalya, Bodrum, Istanbul, Trabzon, Batumi, Baku, Salalah, Tbilisi, Hurghada, Sharm El Sheik, El Alamein, Sohag, Sarajevo, Salzburg, Tirana, Vienna, Prague, in addition to the newly launched destinations of Munich and Budapest, as well as Podgorica and the Maldives.

Kuwait Airways
Back in the air since June 18, over two weeks after an Iranian drone attack killed one person and damaged the airport’s infrastructure. Serving London, Istanbul, Beirut, Cairo, Riyadh, Jeddah, Mumbai, Delhi, Colombo, Manila and Guangzhou.

Jazeera Airways
Restoring routes from Terminal 5 to Dubai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Cairo, Beirut and Istanbul, but warns intermittent Kuwaiti airspace closures could still affect flights.

British Airways
Delayed its Middle East return, originally due 1 July. Dubai, Tel Aviv, Bahrain and Amman remain suspended until October 25. Doha drops to once daily from August 1; Riyadh to one daily flight from August 8. Jeddah flights are permanently suspended.

Air Astana
Suspended UAE flights from July 13, days after announcing a resumption, "due to the ongoing escalation of the situation in the Middle East." Full refunds or free rebooking available up to July 31.

Iraqi Airways
Phased restart focused on domestic routes (Baghdad, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Basra) plus select international links to Istanbul, Cairo and Amman.

Air India / Air India Express
Operating as scheduled but warning of possible airspace-related disruption. Air India Express officially launched its first direct flight from Navi Mumbai to Abu Dhabi on July 15. Air India also inked a pact with Riyadh Air “to establish the foundation for a partnership that will offer guests seamless connections between India, Saudi Arabia, and destinations beyond.”

Air Canada
Air Canada said due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East, flights to and from Dubai (DXB) and Tel Aviv (TLV) remain suspended until October 24, inclusive.

IndiGo
IndiGo says it plans to continue operating Gulf routes from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru while closely monitoring the regional situation. IndiGo has decided to make temporary adjustments to a limited segment of its international network including temporary suspension of operations to Langkawi, Krabi, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong and Shanghai starting July 1, and Siem Reap effective July 3, until September 30.
Flights to Manchester remain cancelled until August 31.

Turkish Airlines
Resumed Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Damascus, Beirut and Amman; Dubai frequency doubled to 14 weekly flights from 25 June. Iran flights remain suspended.

KLM
KLM will not operate flights to Dubai, Riyadh and Dammam until and including August 23.

Lufthansa Group
Dubai suspended until September 13; Abu Dhabi, Amman, Beirut, Dammam, Riyadh, Erbil, Muscat and Tehran on hold until October 24 across Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines. Tel Aviv resumed for Austrian, Lufthansa and Swiss, but not Brussels Airlines.

Royal Jordanian
Operating while Jordanian airspace stays open; free changes or refunds offered.

Air France
Air France plans to serve nearly 170 destinations across 73 countries during the summer 2026 season, with a 2 per cent increase in long-haul capacity driven by strong demand for North and South America and Asia.
Flights to Dubai, Riyadh, Tel Aviv and Beirut will remain suspended due to the ongoing security situation in the Middle East, with schedules subject to change based on regional developments.

Cathay Pacific
Dubai and Riyadh suspended until August 31; tickets on sale again from September 1.

Singapore Airlines
Dubai flights cancelled until August 2.

Philippine Airlines
Manila–Doha resumed; Manila–Dubai suspended until October 2.

Cebu Pacific
Manila–Dubai resumed, flight 5J 14/15 running four times weekly (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday).