UAE travellers faced another uneven day at the airport on Saturday, 19 September, as cancellations and retimed departures appeared on the boards at Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Emirates and Etihad said their scheduled operations were continuing normally, although individual flights could still be delayed.

Which flights were cancelled

At Dubai International, flydubai cancelled three pairs of regional services, linking Dubai with Bahrain, Abha and Yanbu, along with their return legs. SpiceJet's Dubai–Mumbai flight was also cancelled, and Delhi Airport said its ground teams were coordinating with the airline to assist affected passengers.

Air Arabia's list was longer. Several rotations between Abu Dhabi or Sharjah and Kuwait, Bahrain and Abha were cancelled, while other flights on those corridors were shown as not yet departed when the morning update was compiled.

Delays across long-haul and regional routes

Retimed departures were spread widely. At Dubai, an Emirates flight to Barcelona left about 40 minutes late, and flights to Moscow, Almaty and Minsk were pushed back by anything from roughly half an hour to three hours. Emirates services to Islamabad, Peshawar, Ahmedabad, New Delhi and Bangkok were also running behind.

In Abu Dhabi, Etihad flights to Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Islamabad departed between about 50 minutes and an hour late, and several Air Arabia and Etihad codeshare flights to India were retimed.

A note of caution on causes

Gulf News, which compiled the listings, cautioned against reading too much into any single cancellation. Some disruptions may be tied to the wider regional security situation, which continues to affect aviation schedules. Others may stem from technical or operational problems. For passengers, the practical point is that a delay on the departures board does not necessarily signal a wider problem.

Capacity is rebuilding, but unevenly

The longer-term picture is one of gradual recovery. Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths said airline capacity at DXB had recovered to about 84 per cent of earlier levels, with passenger volumes at 78 per cent. Emirates was running at around 93 per cent of pre-disruption capacity in July and August, and flydubai expects to restore its full network, potentially more, by the end of 2026.

Foreign carriers return in stages

The return of international airlines is staggered. British Airways plans to resume Dubai flights from 4 November. Wizz Air is preparing to return to Dubai and Abu Dhabi in late October, and Air Astana restarts Kazakhstan–Dubai services in early October.

Others are waiting longer. Lufthansa, SWISS, Singapore Airlines, KLM, ITA Airways and airBaltic have suspended Dubai flights through 24 October. Air France's pause runs through 13 October, Air Canada has pushed its return to mid-January 2027, and Virgin Atlantic has moved its comeback to October 2027. Turkish Airlines, by contrast, has resumed flights to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Travel advice is shifting

Government guidance is changing at different speeds. The UK's Foreign Office has dropped its broad warning against all but essential travel to the UAE, though it says tensions remain unpredictable. The US keeps the UAE at Level 3, "Reconsider Travel", and Australia still advises travellers to reconsider their need to visit.

What passengers should do

Check your flight directly with the airline before leaving home, because schedules can change at short notice. Flydubai says check-in counters close 60 minutes before departure unless the airline sends a different instruction by SMS or email. Allow extra time at the airport, keep your contact details current with the carrier so you receive alerts, and if your flight is cancelled ask about rebooking or refund options. ITA Airways, for example, is offering affected passengers an alternative flight or a refund.

Why it matters

Aviation is central to how the UAE functions, from tourism and trade to family travel across South Asia and Europe. A patchy day at the gates is inconvenient, but the slow return of foreign airlines and the recovery of local carriers' capacity will shape the country's winter tourism season. Readers planning October or November trips should watch the dates above, as carriers have already moved them more than once.