DXB service cuts ripple through Dubai

Dubai International Airport is open on April 15, but the flight board is thinner: British Airways and Lufthansa are not flying there, and Dubai Airports says the hub is running a limited schedule. (britishairways.com) (lufthansaexperts.com) (dubaiairports.ae) Dubai Airports is telling passengers not to go to the airport unless their airline has sent a confirmed departure time directly, and to check flight status before leaving for the terminal. The airport’s public advisory says only a limited schedule is operating at Dubai International Airport. (dubaiairports.ae) British Airways said on April 2 that flights to and from Dubai were among the routes “cancelled or temporarily suspended” because of uncertainty and airspace restrictions in the Middle East. The airline is offering full refunds for eligible bookings issued by April 1 for travel through October 31, 2026. (britishairways.com) Lufthansa Group said all of its airlines would suspend flights to the region through April 30, with Dubai flights specifically paused through May 31, 2026. The notice covers Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Edelweiss, and says affected passengers can rebook once for free or take a refund. (lufthansaexperts.com) Air India and Air India Express have kept some Dubai flying alive with ad hoc service rather than a normal schedule. In a media note issued April 4, the group said it would run 12 non-scheduled flights to and from the United Arab Emirates on April 5, including Dubai links from Delhi and Mangalore, subject to slots and local conditions. (airindia.com) The disruption is tied to a wider aviation safety problem, not a closure of Dubai itself. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s current conflict-zone bulletin says the risks followed the February 28 strikes on Iran and the retaliatory attacks that followed, and the agency extended its warning on Middle East and Gulf airspace into late April. (easa.europa.eu) (gulfnews.com) That has collided with a separate squeeze on seats and prices in the United Arab Emirates travel market. Gulf News reported on April 14 that travel agents were seeing strong summer demand but fewer available seats, especially on India routes, with high airfares delaying bookings. (gulfnews.com) Another Gulf News report said outbound fares from Dubai had jumped sharply versus two months earlier, citing return fares this week of Dh4,230 to Mumbai and Dh4,380 to London. The same report said airlines were dealing with higher fuel costs, reduced capacity and longer rerouted flight paths through safer corridors. (gulfnews.com) (iata.org) For travelers connecting through Dubai, the practical picture is simple on April 15: the airport is functioning, some carriers are not, and even operating airlines are warning that schedules can change quickly. Dubai Airports is still directing passengers back to their airline before they set out for the terminal. (dubaiairports.ae)