The United Arab Emirates has resumed flight operations at its international airports amid the ongoing war in the Middle East, where the US and Israel are striking Iran, which has escalated travel chaos across the Gulf region, including in the most visited tourist destination, Dubai.
The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in its statement on Monday said exceptional and limited flights are operating at UAE airports and urged travellers not come to the airport until airlines call you with a confirmed flight.
Dubai airport authority, giving certain relief to stranded foreign passengers, also announced that it had resumed a "small number" of flights to operate from Dubai International Airport and Dubai World Central airport. Follow | US-Israel-Iran War LIVE Updates.
Dubai-based airlines Emirates and flydubai announced the resumption of a limited number of flights starting from March 2, and said that customers with earlier bookings would take priority.
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways said its commercial flights would remain suspended until Wednesday, but said that some “repositioning, cargo and repatriation flights” could be operational after reviewing safety protocols.
Five Emirates aircraft departed Dubai this morning — all A380S — bound for Jeddah, Manchester, Paris, London, and Frankfurt, Flightradar24 said.
Also Read | US Cancels All Consular Services in Riyadh After Iran-Linked Drone Strike on US Embassy in Saudi Arabia.
At least 16 Etihad Airways flights departed from Abu Dhabi on Monday to destinations including London, Amsterdam, Moscow and Riyadh, and two Emirates flights reached Mumbai and Chennai on Tuesday morning, according to the flight tracking website Flightradar24.
Later on Tuesday morning, two Etihad flights to Abu Dhabi were diverted to Muscat, Oman, and an Emirates flight to Dubai diverted back towards Mumbai, according to flight radar data.
Airspace of Iraq, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain continues to remain shut for the third consecutive day after a war broke out in the Gulf. More than 11,000 flights in and out of the region have been cancelled since the start of the conflict on Saturday, according to aviation data firm Cirium.
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways flight operations were temporarily suspended on Tuesday morning, March 3, due to the closure of Qatari airspace. "Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace. A further update will be provided on 04 March by 09:00 Doha time (06:00 UTC)," the airline said in a statement.
A passenger who arrived at IGI Airport from Dubai said, "The situation is quite normal, there's not much tension, but due to flight cancellations and other things, people are facing financial impacts. Staying there is very expensive... Air India guided us completely. The government there is providing as much help as it can."
A total of five departures and five arrivals have been cancelled at Kolkata Airport. According to the Airports Authority of India Kolkata, the cancellations are linked to the prevailing war situation.
The details of today’s flight cancellations (arrivals and departures) are as follows:• Emirates – two arrivals and two departures to and from Dubai• Qatar Airways – one arrival and one departure to and from Doha• Etihad Airways – one arrival and one departure to and from Abu Dhabi• Air Arabia – one arrival and one departure to and from Abu Dhabi
Another passenger who arrived at IGI Airport from Dubai said, "... I am from Noida. We had gone there as tourists. Our return was scheduled for February 28, and that's when all this happened, and our flight got cancelled... The Indians who are in Dubai, if the government there covers their living expenses, that would be good... We had to bear the expenses in Dubai. Our only request is that other tourists also be brought back as soon as possible... We are very grateful to India and Air India."