Gulf airlines seek to reopen routes

Trials of normalisation for air carriers in the Gulf region, in particular Emirates and Etihad. After the partial reopening of the regional airspace Emirates, the flag carrier of the Arab Emirate of Dubai with a fleet of long-haul aircraft, is operating with a reduced flight schedule, waiting to be able to fully restore its network with the aim of returning to 100% operational capacity in the next few days. All this, of course, if the conflict permits. "Safety remains, as always, our top priority, as does our duty of care to our passengers," the company said in a note. Yesterday Emirates carried around 30,000 passengers departing from Dubai; by tomorrow, Saturday, 7 March, 106 Emirates daily return flights to 83 destinations will be operational, covering almost 60% of the network; until tomorrow, 7 March, the following connections to and from Italia will be operated: EK95 / EK96 - Dubai (Dxb) ⇄ Rome Fiumicino (FCO), EK97 / EK98 - Dubai (Dxb) ⇄ Rome Fiumicino (Fco), EK101 / EK102 - Dubai (Dxb) ⇄ Milan Malpensa (Mxp). In high-demand markets, operations were significantly enhanced. In the UK alone, by 7 March, the airline will operate 11 daily flights to five airports, confirming the strong demand for travel between the UAE and the UK. Also by tomorrow, in India, Emirates will reach 22 daily flights, serving all nine gateways in the country. In the US, the airline operates to seven gateways, ensuring continuity of connections between the US and UAE. "Flights to these destinations are operating regularly. Customers can check availability and book online. Priority is given to bookings that have already been made; at the moment, passengers should only go to the airport if they have a booking confirmation. We continue to monitor the situation closely and adjust operations as necessary. All customers are encouraged to consult emirates.com and the official social channels, where we will provide timely updates as they become available,' the airline's note concludes. On Thursday, operations at the Dubai airport, one of the world's major hubs, were at 25 per cent, with the most affected routes being those to Asia and the Pacific. According to Cirium data, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad together carry about a third of all passengers from Europe to Asia and more than half of all passengers from Europe to Australia, New Zealand and the neighbouring Pacific islands.

Etihad is also preparing to resume flights to some 70 destinations after almost a week's halt. The airline said it will resume a limited flight schedule starting 6 March between its Abu Dhabi hub and several destinations in Europe, India, the US and the Middle East, including Riyadh. Etihad said services remain subject to operational approvals and could be modified depending on regional airspace conditions, and that not all destinations will be operational. The UAE is still under threat from Iran and on Friday morning Abu Dhabi airport staff escorted people to a shelter as missile alerts rang out on passengers' phones.