Chaos in the Middle East, here's the flight situation: only Oman Air is (almost) regular. Emirates, Etihad, Gulf and Qatar are grounded

The Chaos in the Middle East continues to severely impact air travel and while the region's airspace remains subject to sudden closures and restrictions, major airlines are updating hour by hour operations, suspensions and passenger assistance policies. The picture, as of March 3, is one of a still extremely fluid situation, with Gulf carriers forced to reduce, halt or reschedule and with customers urged, almost in unison, to Do not go to the airport without direct confirmation.

Emirates is one of the companies that has begun to give an initial sign of restarting, but with extreme caution. The Dubai-based carrier reported that Will begin operating a limited number of flights from the evening of March 2, giving priority to customers already booked and those who will be rebooked on these rotations. The message is crystal clear: Those who will be placed on these flights will be contacted directly, while for all others, the invitation not to report to the airport remains valid. At the moment, in fact, all other flights remain suspended until further notice. Emirates stresses that the program will be adapted as the operational and security framework evolves, with updates on the website and official channels. On the service front, the company allows Reschedule to alternate dates by March 20., or of request reimbursement (if the ticket was purchased directly). Also of note is an important practical detail in Dubai: All check-in points in the city are temporarily closed until further notice.

Etihad Airways maintains a similarly cautious line. The Abu Dhabi-based company reported that. All scheduled commercial flights to/from Abu Dhabi remain suspended until 2 p.m. (UAE time) on Thursday, March 5. They may operate only some positioning, cargo or repatriation flights, but only in coordination with the Emirates authorities and subject to operational and security approval. Etihad also warns that the flight status page may temporarily show the original schedules, while updated schedules will be uploaded as soon as they are confirmed. Again, the mantra is identical to that of other carriers: updated contacts in the reservation and no airport without direct instructions. The company reiterates that it is in close coordination with the authorities and will resume regular service as soon as possible.

Even sharper is the position of Qatar Airways, which at 09:00 GMT+3 on March 3 confirmed that. operations remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace. The company will resume flights only when the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of airspace. Qatar has already indicated the next official update for the March 4 by 09:00 a.m. Doha time. Again, very structured approach to assistance: passengers with confirmed reservations and travel date Between February 28 and March 10, 2026 can take advantage of free date change up to 14 days than the original start or of the refund of the unused value of the ticket. However, the company reports very high call volumes and asks that you contact the call center only if you travel within the next 48 hours.

Carriers in the area include. Oman Air published a detailed list of cancellations. In its update (last update listed at March 2, Muscat 4:30 p.m.), the company confirmed for Tuesday, March 3, 2026 the cancellation of All flights to/from Amman, Dubai, Bahrain, Doha, Dammam, Kuwait, Copenhagen and Baghdad. All other flights are found to be operational, but with possible delays. This is an interesting point because it shows well the level of fragmentation of the crisis: it does not always result in a total stop, but often in a network of selective cancellations depending on the routes and air corridors available.

Flights to Rome FCO and Milan MXP, the two destinations served by Muscat on a daily basis, departed regularly today.

Also Gulf Air announced suspensions and cancellations on various routes to/from Bahrain, explaining that several flights have been canceled or temporarily suspended due to regional airspace closures. The company insists on a principle shared by all carriers in the region during these hours: you will fly only through approved airspace and only when it is safe to do so. Passengers are asked to regularly check flight status, update contact information in reservations, and wait for direct notifications in case of travel impacts. Those who booked through an agency, as always, will have to go through their intermediary for any re-routing.

The picture, then, remains one of a crisis not only affecting flights to/from a single country, but spreading like a wave over key hubs such as Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Bahrain, with knock-on effects on connections to Europe, Asia and Africa. And for passengers the practical advice, now more than ever, is one: Do not trust the "theoretical" time printed on the ticket, but follow only the company's official updates and verify that the email and phone number associated with the reservation are correct.

Closing the picture, however, is an interesting sign on the European front: Wizz Air announced increased capacity from major EU bases to support passengers affected by airspace restrictions in the Middle East. The low cost company explained that, as a precautionary measure, flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Amman and Saudi Arabia. remain suspended up to and including March 7, but in parallel is working on re-routing options and alternative connections. The most concrete move is theSignificant increase in flights to Sharm El Sheikh (SSH) from March 6. (subject to regulatory approval), with extra capacity from several European bases: Budapest from 3 to 10 flights, Rome Fiumicino from 11 to 18, London Luton from 4 to 8, Milan Malpensa from 6 to 11, and Sofia from 0 to 3. Translated: at a time when many direct corridors remain closed, Wizz is trying to build an alternative route to maintain a bridge between Israel and Europe, offering passengers more options while waiting for normalcy to return.

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