emirates and Etihad will run a limited number of services from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to the UK over the next few days following a partial re-opening of regional airspace, the airlines said. The moves come after thousands of flights across the Middle East were cancelled during recent strikes and counter-strikes, leaving many travellers stranded. Officials and carriers warn that schedules remain constrained and could change rapidly as safety assessments continue.
What has changed — limited flights restarting
Etihad has announced it will begin operating limited flights from Abu Dhabi starting Friday ET, a decision the airline said followed “extensive safety and security assessments. ” The airline listed London Heathrow and Manchester among UK destinations on the new schedule, and said services will also run to European cities including Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin, Rome, Paris and Milan. Passengers with previous bookings will be prioritised, the airline said, and tickets are available for purchase on its website. Etihad warned travellers not to turn up at the airport unless they have been contacted directly by the carrier or hold a confirmed booking on one of the reinstated flights.
Emirates’ UK schedule and capacity
New commercial flights out of Dubai have been announced by Emirates and are open for booking, the airline said, with customers holding earlier bookings prioritised. Flights to Manchester, Birmingham, London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Edinburgh are scheduled for Friday ET and Saturday ET. Passengers transiting in Dubai will only be accepted on one of these flights if their connecting flight is operating as planned.
emirates said it carried about 30, 000 passengers out of Dubai on Thursday ET and has operated 35 flights to the UK since resuming services. The airline added that by Saturday ET it would have 106 return daily flights serving 83 destinations; for the UK it said it would be operating 11 daily flights across five airports by that day. Emirates also said it was working to restore full network operations following the partial re-opening of regional airspace.
Immediate reactions and what comes next
A second government-chartered flight to bring home UK nationals from the Middle East landed at 7: 30 PM ET on Friday after departing from Muscat on Friday ET, the Foreign Office confirmed. The first charter, which landed at Stansted on Friday morning ET, was delayed by 24 hours following “technical issues, ” the Foreign Office said. A government minister described commercial flights as “by far the most likely and the most rapid” routes out, reflecting an emphasis on restoring scheduled services where safety assessments permit.
Officials and carriers stress that while new flights have been announced and limited services are operating, the situation remains fluid and circumstances around air travel could change quickly. For travellers, the immediate priorities are to hold confirmed bookings or await direct contact from the airlines and to follow the specific guidance each carrier has issued on check-in and transit conditions.
Looking ahead, airlines say they are conducting ongoing safety assessments and working to expand capacity where possible; passengers should expect further timetable updates as operations stabilise and regional airspace conditions evolve. emirates has signaled plans to scale services back toward a full network in the coming days, but all developments will be governed by continuing security reviews and on-the-ground conditions.
