For several days, air travel across the Middle East suffered one of its sharpest shocks in recent years, with more than 23,000 flights cancelled and some of the Gulf’s biggest hubs either closed or operating at a fraction of normal capacity. Yet the picture is now beginning to change. The region is not back to full normalcy, but it is moving from emergency shutdown into a carefully managed recovery, driven by safe corridors, partial airport reopenings, repatriation missions, and phased airline schedules.

Qatar

Nowhere is that caution clearer than in Qatar. Qatar Airways says scheduled operations remain suspended, but it has been authorised to operate limited flights into Doha on 8 March from London, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Frankfurt, and Bangkok, strictly for passengers whose final destination is Doha. Before that, the airline had already begun a limited series of relief flights from Muscat and Riyadh for stranded passengers. The message is unmistakable: Doha is reopening in a tightly controlled manner, but this is not yet a full return of commercial operations.

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The UAE, however, is further along the recovery path. Dubai Airports confirmed that operations at both Dubai International and Dubai World Central partially resumed on 7 March, while Emirates restarted services for passengers holding confirmed bookings. Emirates has said it expects to return to 100% of its network in the coming days, subject to airspace availability and operational readiness. The airline reported carrying about 30,000 passengers out of Dubai on 6 March, and by 7 March it expected to operate 106 return daily flights to 83 destinations, representing almost 60% of its route network. Reuters, citing Flightradar24, added that traffic at DXB had nearly doubled from Wednesday to Thursday, although it was still only around 25% of normal levels.

Abu Dhabi is also back in the air, though on a measured schedule. Etihad says it resumed a limited commercial programme from 6 March after extensive safety and security assessments with relevant authorities. Reuters reported that these services would run through 19 March and cover key markets including Cairo, Delhi, London, Frankfurt, New York, Paris, Toronto, and Zurich. In practical terms, that means Abu Dhabi is open again for selected movements, but still operating well below its usual tempo.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is currently the most functional large-scale air corridor in the Gulf. The U.S. Mission says Saudi airspace remains open and international flights continue from Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dhahran, even though reroutings, delays, and selective foreign airline suspensions remain in place. EASA’s active warning still covers Saudi airspace, so flights are still operating under elevated aviation risk controls.

On the military side, Saudi Arabia has faced direct threat activity. Reuters reported a drone strike caused minor damage at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, while Saudi authorities said they had intercepted 21 drones and three ballistic missiles. The U.S. advisory for Saudi Arabia is now Level 3: Reconsider Travel, with continued warnings around the Yemen border.

Kuwait

Kuwait’s airspace was formally closed on 28 February as a precautionary security measure, and Kuwait Airways announced the postponement of all arrivals and departures at Kuwait International Airport. Kuwaiti authorities later said the airport situation was stable and that damage assessment work would begin, suggesting a controlled transition from shutdown to an operational review rather than a clean reopening.

Bahrain

Bahrain remains one of the most constrained Gulf aviation markets at this stage. Bahrain International Airport says flight operations remain temporarily suspended because Bahrain’s airspace remains closed under instructions from the Bahrain Civil Aviation Affairs.

Oman

Oman has emerged not as a shut market and more as a managed relief corridor –operationally useful for transit and repatriation, but with little location-specific security risk. Muscat has been used for repatriation and evacuation movements, including British and Swiss assistance flights, while Oman Air has issued booking flexibility measures and SalamAir has suspended selected regional routes, including Kuwait, Sharjah, Doha, and Dammam until 20 March, and Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon until 28 March. SalamAir has also added capacity on safer routes, which is a strong signal that Oman is adapting rather than freezing.

Other Airlines

Other airlines are following the same pattern. IndiGo said it was operating flights to five destinations in the region, subject to safety conditions and regulatory approvals, while several other carriers across the Gulf have resumed selective services, repatriation sectors, or reduced schedules instead of full network operations. What is returning first is not volume, but controlled connectivity.

Government intervention has also become a major stabilising force. In the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said more than 4,000 people had already returned on commercial flights from the UAE, with more departures scheduled and charter capacity being added from Oman. He also confirmed the presence of rapid-deployment teams in Oman and Saudi Arabia. The U.S. State Department has similarly said it is helping citizens leave through charter flights, overland options, and a dedicated assistance effort. These official actions do not eliminate disruption, but they do help convert confusion into managed movement, which is one of the clearest indicators that a travel system is beginning to recover.

Traveller’s Space

For travellers, the practical reality is mixed but improving. UK aviation regulators say airlines must reroute or refund eligible passengers, but they also acknowledge that rerouting becomes especially difficult during major disruption, particularly when airports close at short notice. That is why travellers should expect uneven response times on refunds and reaccommodation during the peak of a crisis, as airlines are often balancing customer claims with live recovery operations and the movement of stranded passengers.

This event should also provide deeper insight for the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and national regulators such as the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on the protocols and policies needed to better protect travellers within their jurisdictions.

The most accurate way to describe the current moment is this: Middle East travel is no longer in complete paralysis, but it is not yet fully restored. Doha remains tightly restricted. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are reopening in phases. Major Gulf carriers are rebuilding schedules cautiously. Governments are creating safe pathways home. This is not normal travel yet, but it is the early architecture of normalisation and, for the travel industry, that distinction matters.

How We Managed Our Clients’ Travels

This disruption became a real-time test of the emergency response structure we built and refined after the pandemic. Because our travel management process already included escalation planning, alternate routing logic, client communication fail-safes, and live airline monitoring, we were able to respond with speed, clarity, and control rather than react under pressure.

As a result, the majority of our clients’ trips were executed successfully, except those directly affected by the shutdown into Qatar. Where exposure to the region became too high, we moved quickly to identify alternative routings and, where necessary, shifted clients to airlines whose networks did not depend on Middle East transit corridors. This was especially important for Asia-bound travel, where continuity could still be preserved through smart rerouting.

What made the difference was disciplined situational awareness. We monitored airline advisories, airport updates, corridor reopenings, and operational signals in real time. That gave us the visibility to make stronger decisions on rebooking, rerouting, and onward travel risk, while also helping us anticipate likely relief actions from authorities and airline partners before they were broadly announced.

Most importantly, our clients felt the value of that oversight. Their feedback reflected confidence, reassurance, and appreciation that their journeys were being actively monitored rather than passively managed. In times like this, travel management is not just about issuing tickets. It is about protecting journeys, reducing uncertainty, and making critical decisions early enough to prevent disruption from becoming a crisis.

At Afari Travels & Tours, we monitor visa policies, airline requirements, and digital travel developments to keep our clients informed. Follow us for reliable travel updates and practical guidance to help you stay prepared wherever you are travelling.