Dubai limits flights until May 31 as Iran war restricts world’s busiest travel hub
The Dubai caps will hit Indian airlines the hardest, according to April and May schedules data from Cirium
JimMin
Dubai has imposed significant flight restrictions on foreign airlines, limiting them to a single daily service to its airports until 31 May, a move sparking considerable concern among some carriers.
The decision, attributed to the ongoing Iran crisis, threatens substantial revenue losses for Indian airlines, which had planned more flights to the emirate than any other nation.
In response, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), representing major players such as IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet, has urged the Indian government to intervene. A letter sent on 31 March called for pressure on Dubai authorities to lift the curbs, suggesting reciprocal measures against Dubai-based carriers like Emirates and flydubai if negotiations fail.
This new hurdle compounds existing financial pressures on Indian airlines. They are already grappling with elevated fuel prices and extended flight paths to Western destinations, a consequence of the ban on using Pakistani airspace since last year following military tensions between the two countries.
The restrictions, which extend measures implemented after the conflict began, were communicated to airlines in a private email from Dubai Airports on 27 March, seen by Reuters. It stipulates that carriers will be permitted only one round trip per day to Dubai International Airport (DXB), typically the world's busiest international travel hub, and the smaller Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) throughout the summer season, specifically between 20 April and 31 May.
"Carriers continue to be limited to one rotation per day, until capacity allows more to be facilitated ... Additional slots will be allocated if capacity is available," it said. The FIA told the Indian government the curbs were not being applied to Dubai's airlines such as Emirates and flydubai, creating an uneven playing field that could lead to "substantial" revenue losses.
Dubai Airports and Dubai's media office did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Flydubai said its flight schedules were approved by the relevant authorities. Emirates did not respond to a request for comment.
The measures come after Emirates and other Gulf airlines have long complained about India's bilateral air service agreements that cap the number of seats that can be deployed between countries. Indian authorities have said such pacts protect Indian airlines in the cutthroat market.
India was the largest source of passengers for DXB in 2025, with 11.9 million travellers passing through the hub.
The Dubai caps will hit Indian airlines the hardest, according to April and May schedules data from Cirium.
Air India and its budget carrier Air India Express have scheduled more than 750 flights into DXB in that period. IndiGo has 481, followed by Saudia and Gulf Air, which planned for 480 and 404, respectively. India's SpiceJet had planned 61. The one-flight-per-day cap would mean 30 or 31 per month for each foreign airline, versus the hundreds of daily flights being flown by Emirates and flydubai according to Flightradar24 data.
IndiGo told Reuters in a statement that the Middle East crisis and the new Dubai extended restrictions "significantly constrained" its operations as it had an approved summer schedule of 15 daily flights from India to Dubai.
"As a result, a significant portion of IndiGo’s capacity and aircraft time is currently underutilized," IndiGo said in its first comments on the crisis.
Air India, SpiceJet and Indian authorities did not respond to requests for comment. Other major airlines such as Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, and British Airways had far fewer flights to Dubai than Indian carriers before the crisis began and have cancelled all flights to the city until at least May 31. They are instead adding more non-stop Asia-Europe flights to take advantage of strong passenger demand that has pushed up prices.
