Gulf routes pulled or reduced
Multiple carriers have scaled back Gulf operations: Cathay Pacific has cancelled all Dubai flights until at least end‑April, Finnair temporarily suspended Dubai service, and IndiGo has stopped many Middle East routes while keeping selective flights (timesofindia.indiatimes.com). Air India Group is operating limited services on some Gulf routes but overall capacity between India and the Gulf is constrained (timesofindia.indiatimes.com).
Airlines are still cutting or limiting Gulf flights in April, leaving Dubai and other West Asia routes thinner and less predictable than usual. (cathaypacific.com) Cathay Pacific said on April 10 that all flights to and from Dubai are cancelled through June 30, 2026, citing “the ongoing situation in the Middle East.” Cathay’s latest news page lists the Dubai suspension alongside a separate Riyadh suspension. (cathaypacific.com 1) (cathaypacific.com 2) Finnair said it suspended Dubai flights from February 28 through March 29, 2026, and warned some passengers might not be rerouted because of limited commercial alternatives. In the same update, the airline extended its Doha cancellations through July 2, 2026. (finnair.com) Indian carriers have not pulled out completely, but they have been flying a smaller, shifting schedule. Air India Group said on April 4 that Air India and Air India Express would together operate 32 scheduled and non-scheduled West Asia flights on April 5, including 12 extra services to and from the United Arab Emirates, subject to slots and local conditions. (airindia.com) Air India said on April 6 that it was “exploring every opportunity” to add ad hoc flights to West Asia as airspace closures continued to disrupt normal operations. Its Middle East travel-updates page says passengers should expect schedule changes, cancellations and rebooking limits. (airindia.com 1) (airindia.com 2) The immediate problem is not airport capacity in Dubai alone. Airlines are reacting to a wider safety and airspace disruption across the Middle East, which has forced carriers to cancel flights, trim schedules or keep only selected services on routes that usually depend on tightly timed aircraft rotations. (finnair.com) (airindia.com) (cathaypacific.com) That squeeze is most visible on India-Gulf links, one of the region’s busiest short-haul international markets for workers, families and connecting passengers. When Indian airlines say flights depend on airport slots, regulatory approvals and “prevailing conditions,” that means seats can return in bursts rather than on a stable daily timetable. (airindia.com 1) (airindia.com 2) The result is a split market: some long-haul carriers have suspended Gulf routes outright, while Indian airlines are trying to preserve a partial bridge with selective flights and one-off additions. Finnair told customers refunds may be necessary when rerouting is not possible, and Cathay has told affected passengers to check booking status directly. (finnair.com) (cathaypacific.com) For travelers, the practical takeaway in mid-April is simple: a route showing flights on sale is not the same thing as a route back to normal. The carriers that are still flying are doing so on a reduced, conditional schedule, and the carriers that stopped are not yet giving the Gulf a firm full-service restart date. (airindia.com) (cathaypacific.com) (finnair.com)
