Middle East flights: Dubai flights update for Emirates, Etihad, Flydubai

An El Al repatriation flight was prevented from landing at Ben-Gurion Airport by Iranian strikes on Thursday morning, according to local reports.

The plane was reportedly only a minute from touchdown when sirens sounded across central Israel, forcing it into a go-around, N12 reported.

Another round of sirens went off on Thursday afternoon in northern communities when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel.

A refuelling aircraft has been forced to make an emergency landing in Israel, according to a new post on Telegram.

According to Nir Dvori on the platform, the refuelling aircraft made an "emergency landing at Ben Gurion Airport due to hydraulic malfunction," with a "state of alert declared".

Read more here:

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced two further government-chartered flights, one of which is expected to leave Oman on Thursday.

Two more commercial British Airways flights are due to take passengers from Muscat to London Heathrow on Friday and Saturday.

Over 300 people returned to Scotland from Dubai via Emirates on Wednesday night. Families broke down in tears of relief as they embraced their loved ones, who touched down at Edinburgh Airport at 8.12pm.

During his news conference at Downing Street, Sir Keir Starmer said he is working to manage expectations for the British citizens stuck in the region.

He said that approximately 4,000 Britons had already made it home, but some 140,000 British nationals have told the Government they are in the Middle East.

“This is a huge undertaking,” the Prime Minister said. “It’s not going to happen overnight.”

The flight chartered by the UK government to bring British citizens back from Muscat International Airport, Oman, has just taken off, according to flight tracking data.

Flight WY2101, operated by Oman Air, was scheduled to depart at 5pm local time, but actually took off at 6.15pm. It is estimated to arrive at Heathrow Airport at around 11pm tonight.

The flight was originally scheduled to depart Oman at 11pm local time on Wednesday.

The flight chartered by the UK government to bring British citizens back from Oman is about to take off, a passenger on the plane has told the BBC.

The flight was due to take off on Wednesday evening but was delayed due to a technical issue.

Mark, who is travelling with his young family, has said it's now looking like a four-and-a-half-hour flight to Cairo, Egypt, then a refuel, and on to London Stansted.

He describes the delayed take-off as a "complete shambles".

Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport opened to limited civilian flights on Thursday after five days of war. An El Al passenger jet from Athens arrived this morning - the first commercial arrival since the closure - followed minutes later by another charter flight operated by Israir from Rome.

The Israeli government also announced on Thursday that outgoing flights would gradually resume on Sunday (March 8).

Currently, the only flights departing from Tel Aviv are US Air Force aircraft which are patrolling the region.

As of March 5, there is severe disruption in airspaces across the Middle East. While some corridors have begun to reopen for repatriation and cargo, most of the "Central Corridor" remains restricted or entirely closed to commercial traffic.

Total closure of airspace

The following countries have issued NOTAMs (Notices to Air Missions) maintaining a total closure of their Flight Information Regions for civilian traffic:

Iran (OIIX): Closed until at least March 7 (08:30 UTC).

Iraq (ORBB): Closed until at least March 7 (09:00 UTC).

Syria (OSTT): Closed until at least March 7 (21:00 UTC).

Israel (LLLL): Closed to general commercial traffic; Ben Gurion Airport is strictly PPR (Prior Permission Required) for military and approved repatriation flights only.

Qatar (OTDF): Total closure remains in effect.

Partial/ restricted airspace

UAE (OMAE): Officially "partially open" via specific, tightly controlled waypoint corridors. Most scheduled commercial flights remain suspended, though repatriation flights (e.g. BA, Swiss, Etihad) have begun operating out of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Saudi Arabia (OEJD): Airspace is largely open, but many western and northern sectors (bordering Iraq and the Gulf) are restricted. French and UK operators have been advised to avoid certain zones.

Jordan (OJAC): Technically open, but surrounded by closed FIRs. It has previously implemented nightly closures (15:00–06:00 UTC), which may be extended.

Lebanon (OLBB): Open but considered high-risk; most international carriers have suspended flights until March 8 or later.

As the central Gulf route is blocked, airlines are using two primary bypasses: the Southern Route through Egypt, then Saudi Arabia, then Oman or the Northern Route over Turkey, Azerbaijan and Afghanistan.

A female British resident was on holiday in Bahrain when she heard explosions on Saturday (February 28).

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Express: "Since registering my presence in Bahrain with the FCDO on 1st March I have received two emails informing me that the UK Government is 'working around the clock to provide support to British Nationals' and a third email stating: 'We are working 24/7 to provide support'.

"Whilst the FCDO sounds rather pleased with its work ethic, it hasn't had any impact whatsoever on my situation as of today 4th March.

"Rather than sit back and wait, it was very easy and quick to obtain a tourist visa online for Saudi Arabia, book somewhere to stay online, cross the Causeway by car in minutes, and book a direct flight [to the UK] with Saudia Airlines.

"I consider what has happened in Bahrain and in all other countries in the area to be absolutely dreadful, and I appreciate that there remain huge risks around airspace remaining open.

"However, this pro-active stance - albeit for one person - took no more than one hour and did not require days' worth of 24/7 deliberation.

"I have been made very welcome in Saudi Arabia by everyone I have been in contact with."

Flight operations in Bahrain remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of its airspace, as mandated by the Bahrain Civil Aviation Affairs. Saudi Arabian airspace, meanwhile, remains open, but risk has increased following the strikes.

The holidaymaker was due to return to the UK from Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

The next plane to leave Dubai International Airport (DXB) is a Flydubai plane, Flight FZ1781, to Istanbul (IST), according to flight tracking data. It is due to depart at 5.20pm local time.

No flights from Dubai to the Uk are scheduled to depart for the remainder of today, with the Emirates EK5 to Heathrow Airport having already been cancelled.

Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 shows at least three aircraft flying above the Persian Gulf off the coast the UAE and Kuwait. All three Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker's departed Tel Aviv earlier today.

Data is patchy, however, due to GPS interference in the area.

Scottish tourist, Victoria Cameron, from Larkhall, who had been travelling home from New Zealand via Dubai when flights in the Middle East were grounded, has described the terror she witnessed among locals.

On Saturday (February 28), she was queuing to get into her hotel when the first Iranian missiles struck the city, and she first believed they were fireworks.

"The third one came above us and we started screaming," she said, according to the BBC.

"Then the staff said 'run, run, leave your suitcases'. They rushed us all to the side of the hotel.

"Our phones were going off, saying 'emergency, emergency'. We were crying, we were shaking."

Her flight was cancelled just 15 minutes before it was due to take off and she was forced to abandon her luggage at the airport when it was evacuated.

The statement on X said: "You should stay indoors or go to the nearest safe building.

"Stay away from windows. An interior stairwell or a room with as few windows as possible may offer additional protection."

The embassy is advising British citizens to follow the instructions of the local authorities in the UAE.

Brits trying to leave the Middle East have branded the situation a "total shambles" and said some people were having "panic attacks".

Speaking to Sky News, one Brit said: "[The] check-in process took about four hours due to technical issues. We then got taken to the plane on a bus but had to stay on it for about one-and-a-half hours.

"No consular staff were present airside. They just left us. People started getting very agitated, banging windows, panic attacks.

"There are dozens and dozens of vulnerable people, young children and families."

Thousands are left stranded in a frightening situation in the Middle East as it nears a week since the conflict began.

Flights are gradually being reintroduced by Etihad Airways, Emirates, flydubai and Air Arabia. 17,498 passengers have been returned on 60 flights, according to a media briefing earlier this week.

The latest updates from these airlines, as well as Qatar Airways, can be found here:

Emirates, Etihad and Flydubai flights update as 1,000s stranded in UAE

In its latest statement, Abu Dhabi Media Office said: "Zayed International Airport (AUH), in direct coordination with the Emergencies, Crises and Disasters Management Center - Abu Dhabi (ADCMC), has resumed limited flight operations following a period of disruption in a significant display of resilience from Abu Dhabi’s ecosystem.

"Efforts were conducted over the past few days under strict coordination on safety protocols and in close cross-sector collaboration to ensure comprehensive support. This unified response included the provision of more than 4,300 complimentary hotel rooms across 74 hotels for approximately 7,000 passengers, ensuring those affected by scheduling changes were accommodated in comfort.

"Joint efforts with relevant authorities across the emirate facilitated a seamless support network, including shuttle services, refreshments, hospitality, medical care and retail vouchers to support passenger wellbeing during this transition.

"Abu Dhabi Airports is committed to its one priority: the wellbeing of its guests and staff. Passengers holding confirmed tickets are requested to contact their airlines for the latest flight schedules and are urged to travel to the airport only after receiving specific guidance on when to arrive at AUH for departure.

A flight chartered by the UK government to bring back some Britons stranded in the Middle East did not depart on Wednesday as planned.

Problems with getting passengers on board meant the plane, which had been due to leave Oman's capital Muscat, stayed grounded, according to Home Office minister Alex Norris.

He added that he did not know what time the flight would now leave on Thursday after its delay.

The Foreign Office has also confirmed two additional chartered flights, set to depart by the end of the week.

Foreign Office officials said 138,000 British nationals in the Gulf had registered their presence, of whom 112,000 were in the United Arab Emirates.

Dubai Airport said "most flights remain suspended" as thousands of passengers remain stranded. The airport is open, but only for those passengers who have received a confirmed departure time directly from their airline.

The airport said that if you have received a confirmed departure flight from your airline, you should also check which Terminal your flight is departing from.

It added: "Limited airport operations have resumed with a small number of flights operating from DXB and DWC.

"Schedules remain subject to change."

According to FlightRadar24, the last plane to depart Dubai International Airport (DXB) was Emirates flight EK131 to Moscow (DME), which left at 4.15pm local time. It is scheduled to arrive in Russia at 8.50pm local time this evening.

Before this, the last plane to leave Dubai was also an Emirates flight EK175, heading to St. Petersburg (LED), which left at 3.55pm local time.

Emirates flight EK5 to Heathrow Airport, scheduled to depart 10 minutes ahead of EK131, has been cancelled.

A US Air Force Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker, which departed Tel Aviv just after 11am local time is currently the most tracked flight on FlightRadar24.

According to the site, erratic paths are tell-tale signs of GPS interference. It noted high levels of jamming and spoofing in the UAE. 

The Stratotanker is currently flying over the Persian Gulf, just off the coast of Kuwait. Another jet is close by, with a third making its way to the area.

The UAE's Defense Ministry has said that Iranian ballistic missile and six drones impacted country on Thursday (March 5).

In a statement shared on X, the ministry said: "UAE air defenses detected today (March 5, 2026) 7 ballistic missiles, where 6 ballistic missiles were intercepted and destroyed, while 1 ballistic missile fell within the country's territory. Additionally, 131 drones were detected, with 125 drones intercepted, while 6 fell within the country's territory.

"Since the start of the blatant Iranian aggression, a total of 196 ballistic missiles have been detected, with 181 ballistic missiles destroyed, while 13 of them fell into the sea, and 2 missiles fell on the country's territory. Additionally, 1072 Iranian drones were detected and 1001 of them were intercepted, while 71 drones fell within the country's territory, and 8 cruise missiles were also detected and destroyed.

"These attacks resulted in 3 deaths of Pakistani, Nepalese, and Bangladeshi nationalities, and 94 cases of minor injuries of Emirati, Egyptian, Ethiopian, Filipino, Pakistani, Iranian, Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Azerbaijani, Yemeni, Ugandan, Eritrean, Lebanese, Afghan, Bahraini, Comorian, and Turkish nationalities.

"The Ministry of Defense affirms that it is on high alert and readiness to deal with any threats and to firmly counter everything that targets undermining the state's security, ensuring the preservation of its sovereignty, security, and stability, and protecting its interests and national capabilities."

Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 clearly shows that all planes continue to avoid the airspace above Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Israel, Jordan, and much of the UAE.

Emirates is to operate a limited flight schedule until further notice as airspace in parts of the region gradually reopens.

In a statement, an airline spokesperson said: “Emirates can confirm that it is currently operating a reduced flight schedule until further notice. This follows the partial reopening of regional airspace for the safe conduct of commercial flights.

“For March 5 and 6, more than 100 flights will depart from and return to Dubai. These flights will carry people eager to reach their final destinations, as well as essential cargo such as perishables and pharmaceuticals.

“Emirates will continue to gradually build back its flying schedule, subject to airspace availability and all operational requirements being met.

“For now, customers should only proceed to the airport if they have a confirmed booking. We urge all customers to check emirates.com and our official social media channels, where we will publish the latest updates,” the spokesperson added.

Good morning and welcome to our coverage of flights in the Middle East amid continued chaos as Iran continues its missile strikes in the region.

Stay with us for updates on major airlines in the area, flight cancellations and those still going ahead.