Iran war: UAE starts exceptional flights for stranded passengers

Across the United Arab Emirates, exceptional flights are now operating at airports, the country’s General Civil Aviation Authority has announced.

Etihad Airways flight EY67 to London Heathrow, the first to depart the UAE since its airspace was closed following retaliatory strikes from Iran, took off from Zayed International Airport at 2:39 pm local time (11:39 am CET) on 2 March, landing at 7:16 pm GMT (8:16 pm CET).

“The General Civil Aviation Authority has announced the commencement of exceptional flight operations at United Arab Emirate airports, enabling stranded passengers affected by recent regional developments to depart,” the authority said in a statement.

These flights are not bookable – the airlines are reaching out to passengers directly to let them know timings and details of the flights. So, only those notified should proceed to the airport.

More than a dozen Etihad flights left Abu Dhabi yesterday for destinations including Amsterdam, Paris, Moscow, Mumbai, Delhi and Riyadh. Emirates has also begun operating exceptional flights to cities including London, Manchester, Paris, Amsterdam and Jeddah.

Emirates has stated it will be “accommodating customers with earlier bookings as a priority”.

Most flights to Europe are taking a route through Oman before crossing into Saudi Arabia. Neither country has closed its airspace, although there have been several cancellations on airlines operating to destinations such as Dubai, Doha and Kuwait.

Most regular commercial flights are suspended on Emirates until 11:59 pm local time (9:59 pm CET) on 4 March, while Etihad Airways has extended its flight suspension until 2 pm local time (12 pm CET) on 5 March.

Airspace closures and flight cancellations across the Middle East

Iran’s retaliatory strikes across the Gulf region have significantly caused travel chaos, with thousands of passengers stranded in countries including the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Qatar’s airspace at the moment is closed, with Qatar Airways stating it would provide its next update by 9 am local time (7 am CET) on 4 March.

Bahrain Civil Aviation Affairs has also closed the country’s airspace at the moment, with flag carrier Gulf Air stating the next update would be given at 11 am local time (9 am CET) on 4 March.

Kuwait has closed its airspace and no details have been shared about when an update will be given about its reopening from flag carrier Kuwait Airways.

Turkish Airlines, Air France, KLM, British Airways and Finnair have all cancelled or rescheduled flights to destinations in the region.

Saudi Arabia’s airspace remains open, although some airlines have cancelled flights to the country.

Private jet demand soars across the Gulf

Airspace closures have reportedly seen expats that are trapped in the UAE driving to either Oman or Saudi Arabia to catch a private jet out of the region.

Alexander Graham, the director of Luxe Jets, told the FT that “half of Dubai is booking”.

According to the publication, one operator was charging up to €22,900 per seat on a jet leaving Oman enroute Milan.