- Dubai restricts foreign airlines to one daily flight to Dubai through May 31, 2026, citing capacity constraints amid regional tensions. - The rule hits carriers differently (e.g., Indian carriers with multiple daily flights) and could prompt reciprocal restrictions against Dubai-based airlines. - Critics question the rationale, suggesting the policy may be protectionist rather than solely safety/resource-driven, with unclear capacity relief.

Dubai Restricts Foreign Airlines To One Flight Per Day, Causing Uproar It has obviously been an incredibly challenging several weeks for airlines in the Middle East, given the impacts of the Iran conflict. Not only have airlines largely had to suspend operations on safety grounds, but there’s also the bigger question of whether travelers will feel as comfortable on Gulf carriers going forward, even as things normalize again. Anyway, while carriers in the Gulf are hoping that things get better from here, that’s far from a sure bet. So Dubai is taking what can only be described as an extreme stance when it comes to the normalization of flights being resumed. Dubai caps foreign airline service through May 31 A few weeks ago, we saw Dubai ban all foreign airlines. This came at a time when fuel tanks near the airport were being blown up, so I think we can all sort of make sense of that on safety grounds. However, now there’s a new policy in place, as reported by Reuters — through May 31, 2026, Dubai has restricted foreign airlines to offering a single flight per day to the city’s airports. Per a note from Dubai Airports, “carriers continue to be limited to one rotation per day, until capacity allows more to be ​facilitated,” and “additional slots will be allocated if capacity is available.” As you’d expect, a policy like this isn’t being well received by some airlines. For exa...