GCC air travel recovery accelerates in late March

Emirates, based in the United Arab Emirates, is leading the recovery effort by operating 350 flights daily.

Etihad Airways

Over the past month, air travel across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has faced significant disruption due to the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. However, regional airlines are gradually resuming operations and increasing their flight numbers.

Among UAE carriers, Emirates is seeing the strongest recovery, averaging around 350 daily flights by late March, according to Flightradar24. Meanwhile, Air Arabia and flydubai are operating between 100 and 120 flights per day, while Etihad Airways is approaching 200 daily flights.

Although Qatar Airways reopened its airspace later than the UAE, it is also steadily increasing operations, surpassing 100 daily flights since March 18.

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These figures indicate a strong recovery compared to the early days of the conflict, when Emirates operated only 24 flights on March 1. However, both Emirates and Qatar Airways are still operating below their pre-conflict averages, which exceeded 500 daily flights.

Currently, the three leading GCC airlines—Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways—serve around 80 to 90 destinations worldwide. However, some cancellations and delays persist, including recent disruptions caused by adverse weather conditions in the region.

Jazeera Airways

Kuwait and Bahrain are also resuming many flights despite airspace closures by operating from bases in neighboring Saudi Arabia. Jazeera Airways is operating flights from Al Qaisumah Airport (AQI) and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. The airline plans to operate more than 1,000 flights to 20 destinations—including Jeddah, Cairo, Mumbai, Kathmandu, and Karachi—through April 30, 2026. It is also providing bus transport for passengers via land border crossings between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Similarly, Gulf Air is offering temporary flights from King Fahd International Airport in Dammam to key hubs such as Chennai, Nairobi, Bangkok, and Manila until the end of April, along with ground transportation services.

Oman and Saudi Arabia continue to serve as safe air corridors during the conflict, especially for international airlines such as British Airways, Finnair, Cathay Pacific, and Air Canada, which operate connecting flights through the region.