Airlines gradually restore Middle East flights, Gulf still heavily grounded
More than 43,000 of the 78,500 scheduled flights in and out of the Middle East have been canceled since the war began Feb. 28, according to flight data firm Cirium.
Airlines cautiously expanded their return to Middle Eastern skies Tuesday, even as travel chaos from the conflict in Iran and the wider region continued.
What happened: The major Gulf carriers, including the United Arab Emirates' Etihad Airways and Emirates as well as Qatar Airways, are gradually resuming services after grounding most flights following the outbreak of the war between the United States, Israel and Iran on Feb. 28.
Emirates, the Middle East’s largest airline, said March 7 on the X platform it will continue ramping up operations to and from its Dubai hub and hopes to return to full network capacity when conditions allow.
Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways is expected to operate nearly 50 flights to and from Abu Dhabi March 10, according to a company statement.
