Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia Announce Latest Flight Updates Today.
UAE travellers are facing another day of disrupted flight operations on Saturday, September 19, with cancellations and delays affecting services at Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah airports.
Several Air Arabia and flydubai flights have been cancelled, including services connecting the UAE with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Meanwhile, a number of Emirates, flydubai and Etihad flights are operating on revised schedules, with changes to their departure times.
Emirates and Etihad have indicated that their overall scheduled operations are continuing as normal, although some individual flights may still experience delays or schedule adjustments.
The latest disruptions come as ongoing regional security developments continue to affect aviation schedules. However, individual cancellations and delays may result from a range of factors, including operational or technical issues, and should not necessarily be linked to the broader regional situation.
UAE aviation recovery gains momentum
The UAE’s aviation sector continues to rebuild capacity as airlines progressively restore international services and expand their schedules.
Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said airline capacity at DXB had recovered to around 84 per cent of previous levels, while passenger volumes had reached approximately 78 per cent. Emirates operated at about 93 per cent of its pre-disruption capacity during July and August, while flydubai expects to restore its full network capacity — and potentially exceed it — by the end of 2026.
However, travel advisories and continuing regional security assessments remain factors influencing the pace of the international aviation recovery.
International airlines gradually resume UAE services
International carriers are progressively restoring flights to the UAE, although the pace of recovery varies across airlines and routes.
British Airways is scheduled to resume flights to Dubai from November 4, while Wizz Air is preparing to restart services to Dubai and Abu Dhabi in late October. Air Astana is also expected to restore its Dubai connections from Kazakhstan in early October.
Meanwhile, several international carriers — including Lufthansa, SWISS, Singapore Airlines, KLM, ITA Airways and AirBaltic — have suspended Dubai services through October 24. Air Canada has extended the suspension of its services until mid-January 2027, while Virgin Atlantic is expected to return in October 2027.
UAE flight updates
Flight operations across the UAE remain mixed today, with airport and airline updates showing a combination of scheduled services, delays and cancellations.
Passengers are advised to confirm the latest status of their flights directly with their airline before travelling to the airport, as schedules may change at short notice.
Dubai International Airport: Cancellations and delays
Several flight disruptions have been reported at Dubai International Airport (DXB), with flydubai cancelling a number of services.
Cancelled flights
- FZ023: Dubai to Bahrain
- FZ024: Bahrain to Dubai
- FZ815: Dubai to Abha
- FZ816: Abha to Dubai
- FZ817: Dubai to Yanbu
- FZ818: Yanbu to Dubai
SpiceJet flight SG5113 from Dubai to Mumbai has also been cancelled.
Delayed flights
A number of services at DXB are operating later than their scheduled departure times. These include:
- EK188: Dubai–Barcelona, rescheduled from 6:35am to 7:17am
- FZ1750: Dubai–Belgrade, rescheduled from 7:15am to 7:52am
- DP991: Dubai–Moscow Vnukovo, rescheduled from 7:20am to 8:53am
- KQ304: Dubai–Nairobi, rescheduled from 5:25am to 9:17am
- FZ988: Dubai–Moscow Vnukovo, rescheduled from 8:45am to 10:10am
- FZ1736: Dubai–Almaty, rescheduled from 8:40am to 10:44am
- EK637: Dubai–Peshawar, rescheduled from 11:15am to 11:55am
- FZ1716: Dubai–Minsk, rescheduled from 10:05am to 11:57am
- EK541: Dubai–Ahmedabad, rescheduled from 11:10am to 12:16pm
- EK613: Dubai–Islamabad, rescheduled from 11:35am to 12:21pm
- SG5155: Dubai–Amritsar, rescheduled from 11:25am to 12:48pm
- FZ966: Dubai–Moscow Vnukovo, rescheduled from 9:55am to 12:56pm
- EK511: Dubai–New Delhi, rescheduled from 1pm to 1:41pm
- EK375: Dubai–Bangkok, rescheduled from 1pm to 1:57pm
The overnight flydubai FZ990 service from Dubai to Moscow Vnukovo is also operating on a revised schedule.
Abu Dhabi flights: Delays reported
Several flights departing from Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi are operating on revised schedules, with changes reported to their original departure times.
Etihad flights affected
The following Etihad Airways services are among those showing revised departure times:
Etihad Airways services operating on revised schedules include:
- EY353: Abu Dhabi–Hyderabad, rescheduled from 6:40am to 7:44am
- EY233: Abu Dhabi–Bengaluru, rescheduled from 7am to 7:54am
- EY303: Abu Dhabi–Islamabad, rescheduled from 7:10am to 7:59am
Air Arabia and Etihad codeshare flights
Air Arabia and Etihad codeshare services are also showing revised departure times:
- 3L112/EY1357: Abu Dhabi–Ahmedabad, rescheduled from 7:50am to 9:22am
- 3L201/EY1685: Abu Dhabi–Calicut, rescheduled from 7:50am to 8:56am
Flydubai updates
Flydubai has cancelled several services connecting Dubai with Bahrain, Abha and Yanbu on September 19.
Cancelled services include:
- FZ023/FZ024: Dubai–Bahrain
- FZ815/FZ816: Dubai–Abha
- FZ817/FZ818: Dubai–Yanbu
The airline is also experiencing delays on several other departures from Dubai, including services to Belgrade, Moscow, Almaty and Minsk.
Air Arabia: Cancellations and delays
Air Arabia is reporting a number of cancellations and schedule disruptions across its UAE network, affecting services to and from Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi–Kuwait
- 3L020: Cancelled
- 3L022: Yet to depart
Kuwait–Abu Dhabi
- 3L021: Cancelled
- 3L023: Yet to depart
Abu Dhabi–Bahrain
- 3L015: Yet to depart
- 3L017: Yet to depart
Bahrain–Abu Dhabi
- 3L016: Yet to depart
- 3L018: Yet to depart
Sharjah–Abha
- G9195: Cancelled
Abha–Sharjah
- G9196: Cancelled
Sharjah–Kuwait
- G9068: Cancelled
- G9124: Cancelled
- G9121: Yet to depart
Kuwait–Sharjah
- G9069: Cancelled
- G9125: Cancelled
- G9122: Yet to depart
Sharjah–Bahrain
- G9107: Cancelled
- G9101: Yet to depart
- G9103: Yet to depart
Bahrain–Sharjah
- G9108: Cancelled
- G9102: Yet to depart
- G9104: Yet to depart
- G9106: Yet to depart
SpiceJet disruption affects UAE travellers
SpiceJet is also experiencing operational disruption, with flight SG5113 from Dubai to Mumbai among the cancelled services.
Delhi Airport said its teams were working with SpiceJet and other relevant stakeholders to support passengers affected by the disruption. Ground staff were assisting travellers and coordinating with airline representatives to manage the situation.
At the time of publication, SpiceJet had not issued a formal statement addressing the wider operational disruption.
International airlines: UAE flight status and return dates
- British Airways: Bookings for Dubai services are open from November 4, with one daily flight initially planned for the winter schedule before increasing to twice-daily services in summer. Flights to Abu Dhabi are not expected to resume until the winter 2027-28 season.
- Air France: Dubai services remain suspended through October 13, 2026, inclusive. The airline continues to monitor regional security developments and is offering cancellation and postponement options to affected passengers.
- Wizz Air: The airline is preparing to resume Dubai flights from October 25 and Abu Dhabi services from October 27, according to current booking data. It has announced 12 routes and 49 weekly flights across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah and Amman.
- Air Astana: Services to Dubai are scheduled to resume from Almaty on October 1 and Astana on October 2. Capacity will be gradually increased during October, with Almaty–Dubai services rising from four to 12 flights a week and Astana–Dubai from three to 10 weekly flights.
- Lufthansa: Dubai services remain suspended through October 24.
- Eurowings: Flights to Dubai remain suspended through October 24, with services currently scheduled to restart from November 1.
- SWISS: Dubai flights remain suspended through October 24.
- Singapore Airlines: Flights SQ494 and SQ495 to and from Dubai are cancelled through October 24. Further schedule changes remain possible depending on regional developments.
- KLM: Dubai services remain suspended through October 24 as the carrier continues to adjust its Middle East operations.
- ITA Airways: While Rome–Riyadh flights have resumed, Dubai services remain suspended through October 24. Affected passengers can request alternative travel arrangements or refunds.
- AirBaltic: Riga–Dubai services remain suspended through October 24.
- Philippine Airlines: Dubai flights are suspended until October 2, with the carrier continuing to monitor conditions before restoring services.
- Turkish Airlines: Services to Dubai and Abu Dhabi have resumed, along with flights to Damascus, Beirut and Amman. Tehran services remain suspended, while further cancellations could occur depending on regional airspace conditions.
- Air Canada: Dubai services remain cancelled until mid-January 2027 following the airline’s assessment of the regional security situation.
- Virgin Atlantic: The planned return of Dubai services has been postponed until October 2027, with tickets for the resumed route expected to go on sale later this year.
Travel advisories remain subject to change
United Kingdom: The FCDO has lifted its broader advice against all but essential travel to the UAE. However, it continues to caution that regional tensions remain unpredictable and that travellers should be prepared for potential flight cancellations and airspace disruptions.
United States: The UAE remains under a Level 3 — Reconsider Travel advisory, with US authorities citing terrorism, armed conflict and significant disruption to commercial flights. Saudi Arabia is also listed at Level 3.
Australia: Smartraveller continues to advise Australians to reconsider their need to travel to the UAE, citing an unpredictable regional security environment and the potential for airspace closures and flight cancellations.
Canada: Canadian travel guidance advises travellers to exercise a high degree of caution in the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Travellers are also encouraged to keep their documents up to date and maintain essential supplies in case they are required to shelter in place.
Check your flight before travelling
Passengers are advised to verify their latest flight status directly with their airline before heading to the airport, as departure times and schedules can change at short notice.
Flydubai reminds travellers that its check-in counters close 60 minutes before the scheduled departure time, unless passengers receive an SMS or email from the airline advising them otherwise.
The cancellations, delays and schedule changes included in this update are based on the latest available information from airports and airlines. Flight operations remain subject to change throughout the day, so travellers should continue monitoring official airline updates.
