Commercial aviation across the Middle East showed signs of recovery on Thursday, with cancellation rates dropping significantly even as military operations in the region persisted. Aviation data specialist Cirium reported that over 100 flights departed from the United Arab Emirates, including 87 from Dubai's international airport — the world's second-busiest by passenger numbers — and a further 15 from Abu Dhabi. An additional 60 departures were recorded from Muscat, the capital of Oman.
The disruption began after the United States and Israel launched a coordinated air strike campaign against Iran on Saturday, resulting in the death of the country's supreme leader. Tehran responded with retaliatory strikes across the Gulf region, with airports among the targets. The closure of regional airspace left tens of thousands of passengers stranded, as airports in the UAE and Qatar serve as critical transit points between Europe and Asia.
Thursday's cancellation rate stood at 43.1% across the region, a notable improvement from 61% on Wednesday and more than 65% recorded between Sunday and Tuesday. Among the aircraft departing Dubai were Emirates' flagship A380 super jumbos, with several of the carrier's wide-body jets also returning from international destinations including Los Angeles. The airline confirmed on its website that passengers with existing bookings were being given priority for rebooking on new services.
Despite the improvement, airports in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar remained without departures. Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 indicated that aircraft leaving the UAE were routing southward to maintain distance from the Gulf and Iranian airspace.
Qatar Airways, whose regular schedule remains suspended until further notice, announced on Thursday that it would operate a limited number of repatriation flights to assist stranded travellers. The carrier said it would run services from Muscat to London, Berlin and Rome, as well as from Riyadh to Frankfurt.
