Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha are operating, but which airline you connect on matters more than usual this fall. A European safety advisory covering Gulf airspace runs to Sept. 30, and several European and North American carriers have suspended their own Gulf service well past that date, while the Gulf carriers are flying close to full networks.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency revised its conflict zone bulletin for the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman on Aug. 31 and extended it to Sept. 30. The revision narrowed the advice rather than tightening it. The previous version told operators to avoid the entire airspace of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE.
The current one tells them not to fly over the waters of the Persian Gulf within those flight information regions, “except to the extent necessary for arrivals at or departures from aerodromes within the affected FIRs.” Over land territory, operators are told to exercise caution.
Gulf of Oman waters within Muscat FIR west of longitude 58 degrees east remain a full avoid. Bulletins for Iran, Iraq and Lebanon were also extended to Sept. 30, which is why Europe-to-Asia routings continue to fly around the region rather than over it.
Scope matters here. This is a recommendation to operators, not a rule for passengers and not a government travel warning. It applies to EU operators and to non-EU carriers authorized by EASA for flights to, from and within the European Union. An Emirates flight from Dubai to Bangkok falls outside it entirely.
Bahrain, Kuwait and Doha are in the same bulletin as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and the same logic applies to a Qatar Airways or Gulf Air connection.
It’s in force now through Sept. 30, unless reviewed earlier.
The practical effect is not on the hubs but on who flies into them. Condé Nast Traveller Middle East reports Emirates currently serving more than 137 destinations, Etihad more than 80 and Qatar Airways more than 160.
Arabian Business reports that Air Canada has suspended Dubai service to mid-January 2027, British Airways to Oct. 25, Singapore Airlines to Oct. 24, Philippine Airlines to Oct. 2, Lufthansa and Swiss to Sept. 13, and KLM to Sept. 6, with Luxair out until February 2027. Turkish has resumed Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
So a Europe-to-Asia routing through the Gulf probably exists on a Gulf carrier and probably does not exist on the alliance partner you would normally book. Check the operating carrier before you commit, not the airport.
And treat a stated resumption date as an intention rather than a promise, particularly if you are booking a January connection on an airline currently suspended until mid-January.
A schedule change made weeks in advance is not a cancellation, and most policies won't pay out on one. If an airline pulls a route you've already booked, you're entitled to a refund or a rerouting from the carrier, but rebooking on a different airline at a higher fare is usually your cost, not theirs.
Whether the bulletin is renewed, narrowed again or withdrawn on Oct. 1 remains to be seen. That decision lands three weeks before most winter itineraries get locked in.
Sources
Conflict Zone Information Bulletin CZIB-2026-07R2, Airspace of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman — EASA, issued July 14, 2026, revised Aug. 31, 2026
Conflict Zones Advisories register — EASA, accessed Sept. 1, 2026
EU aviation safety agency narrows Gulf airspace warning — Reuters via Middle East Online, Aug. 31, 2026
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