Emirates Just Suspended All Dubai Flights Until Further Notice

This is a breaking update published March 7, 2026 at 11:14am UAE time. All information is based on the latest available confirmed reports. Emirates has suspended all flights to and from Dubai until further notice — escalating beyond the airline's previous suspension deadline of 11:59pm UAE time tonight, March 7. Gulf News confirmed the development at 11:14am UAE time Saturday, citing a direct Emirates statement. The airline advised all passengers not to travel to airports and thanked them for their patience — stressing that the safety of passengers and crew remains its highest priority. The move represents a significant reversal from the optimistic trajectory of recent days — in which Emirates had been steadily rebuilding operations, carrying 30,000 passengers out of Dubai on March 5 and operating 106 daily return flights to 83 destinations by March 7. That recovery has now been halted entirely. The reason, as it has been since February 28, is the ongoing regional airspace closures driven by Iran's retaliatory campaign against US and Israeli forces across the Gulf. What Emirates Is Saying: Rebook by April 30 Emirates' statement is brief and unambiguous. All flights to and from Dubai are suspended until further notice. Passengers should not travel to airports unless directly notified by the airline. The airline has provided two options for affected passengers. Rebooking: passengers can rebook to their intended destination for travel on or before April 30 — those who booked through a travel agent should contact their agent, while direct bookings can be managed at emirat.es/support. Refunds: passengers can request a full refund via emirat.es/refund, with travel agent bookings handled through the agent. Passengers are advised to ensure their contact details are correct at emirat.es/managebooking to receive timely updates as the situation develops. The April 30 rebooking window — significantly extended from the previous March 27 window — signals that Emirates is no longer expecting a rapid return to normal operations. When the airline was operating a reduced schedule through March 5-7, the rebooking window extended to March 27. Extending it now to April 30 is the clearest possible signal that the airline's operational planners do not expect regional airspace to stabilise quickly. It is not a statement of pessimism — it is a statement of realism from the world's largest long-haul carrier. Qatar Airways: Suspended Through March 8 — Update at 9am Emirates is not alone. Qatar Airways' scheduled flight operations remain suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace — with the airline confirming it will provide a further update on March 8 by 9:00am Doha time (6:00am UTC). Qatar Airways had begun operating limited relief flights from Muscat in Oman and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia to assist stranded passengers — but its main hub at Hamad International Airport in Doha remains effectively closed. The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority has not yet announced the safe full reopening of Qatari airspace — and until it does, Qatar Airways' full network remains grounded. Etihad Airways, by contrast, resumed a limited commercial schedule from March 6 serving Abu Dhabi and key international destinations — and is currently selling tickets. Passengers with existing Etihad bookings are being accommodated as soon as possible. flydubai resumed limited scheduled services on March 5, prioritising customers affected by the disruption. Air Arabia has been operating limited services. The picture across Gulf carriers is a patchwork of partial recovery — with Emirates and Qatar Airways, the two biggest long-haul networks, remaining the most severely impacted. Why the Reversal: Day 8 Escalation The suspension reversal comes on Day 8 of Operation Epic Fury — a day that has already seen Iran's IRGC dare the US Navy to enter the Strait of Hormuz, WTI crude cross $90 per barrel, and fresh Iranian strikes reported across Gulf targets. The airspace closures that have grounded Emirates since February 28 are directly tied to the conflict's trajectory — every new Iranian strike wave, every air defence engagement, and every expanding geographic footprint of the war adds risk to regional airspace that aviation authorities are not willing to accept for commercial traffic. Emirates advised passengers not to travel to airports and thanked them for their patience, stressing that the safety of passengers and crew remains its highest priority. News9live Dubai International Airport — the world's busiest international hub by passenger numbers, handling 92 million passengers in 2025 — has been effectively closed to normal commercial traffic since February 28. Over 84 hours between March 2-5, Dubai Airports managed more than 1,140 flights including over 500 outbound flights to more than 80 countries, offering more than 105,000 seats. That extraordinary operational effort to evacuate stranded passengers has now been paused again as the security situation reasserts itself. What Affected Passengers Should Do Right Now If you have an Emirates booking, do not go to the airport. Check your email for direct notification from the airline. If you have not received notification, your flight is not operating. Rebook via emirat.es/support for travel on or before April 30, or request a refund via emirat.es/refund. If you booked through a travel agent, contact your agent directly. Monitor emirat.es/travelupdates and emirat.es/flightstatus for real-time operational updates. The situation remains dynamic — Emirates has stressed it is assessing continuously and will develop its schedule accordingly as airspace conditions allow. The world's largest long-haul airline is grounded until further notice. For the latest travel and aviation updates on the Iran conflict, follow digital8hub.com.