Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad resume limited flights as Middle East airspace gradually reopens

Airlines have begun cautiously restoring services across the Middle East after widespread disruptions caused by the escalating conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States forced thousands of flight cancellations in the past week.

Qatar Airways said it would operate limited flights to Doha on March 8 from several major cities including London, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Frankfurt and Bangkok as regional airspace gradually reopens.

Meanwhile, Dubai Airports said operations at Dubai International Airport had partially resumed from March 7.

Major carriers are slowly restarting schedules. Emirates said it had resumed some flights from Dubai and was working to restore its global network, while Etihad Airways confirmed it would continue operating a limited number of services from Abu Dhabi to the United Kingdom over the coming days.

The disruptions left thousands of travellers stranded after airspace closures followed US-Israeli strikes on Iran and subsequent retaliatory attacks across the Gulf.

Governments have also begun evacuation efforts. A second chartered flight arranged by the UK Foreign Office carrying British nationals from the Middle East landed at Gatwick Airport early Saturday after departing from Muscat in Oman. Another earlier flight had landed at Stansted Airport on Friday following a 24-hour delay due to technical issues.

Despite the gradual reopening of routes, officials warn the situation remains fluid and travel conditions could change quickly as the regional conflict continues to unfold.