Dubai has restricted foreign airlines to one daily flight to its airports until May 31 because of the tense situation in the Middle East, documents seen by Reuters show.
In an internal email sent to airlines on March 27, Dubai Airports announced that operators will be allowed one round trip per day to Dubai International Airport (DXB), typically the world's busiest international air transport hub, as well as to the smaller Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).
The measure was adopted for the period April 20-May 31, thus extending the restrictions introduced after the outbreak of war.
“Airlines remain limited to one rotation per day until capacity allows for a larger number to be facilitated […] Additional slots will be allocated if there is available capacity,” the message said before the two-week truce between the US and Iran was announced.
Dubai Airports and Dubai's press office did not respond to repeated requests for comment from Reuters. Flydubai said its flight schedules have been approved by the relevant authorities. Emirates did not respond to a request for comment.
Indian airlines most affected by Dubai's decision
Reuters notes that India is the country most affected by the decision as the world's most populous country was the largest source of passengers for DXB in 2025, with 11.9 million passengers passing through the hub.
Air India and its low-cost carrier Air India Express scheduled more than 750 flights to DXB during this period. IndiGo has 481, followed by Saudia and Gulf Air, which had planned 480 and 404 flights, respectively.
Limiting it to one flight a day would mean 30 or 31 flights a month for each foreign airline, compared to the hundreds of daily flights operated by Emirates and flydubai, according to Flightradar24 data.
Other major airlines such as Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and British Airways had far fewer flights to Dubai than the Indian carriers before the crisis erupted and have canceled all flights to the city at least until May 31.
Instead, they are adding more direct flights between Asia and Europe to take advantage of strong demand, which has driven up prices.
