Airlines & Airspace · Dubai, United Arab Emirates
British Airways returns to Dubai, but KLM, Singapore Airlines and others stay away until 2027
BA restarted daily Heathrow–Dubai flights on 3 November, and Lufthansa Group follows on 25 November. KLM, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and others won't return until 2027. Here's who is flying.
By Roamie News Desk · Published · Updated
A British Airways Boeing 777 at Dubai International Airport (file photo). Photo: G B_NZ / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
British Airways restarted daily flights between London Heathrow and Dubai on Tuesday 3 November 2026, its first service on the route since the Middle East conflict began in February (Travel Gossip; Gulf News). But many other foreign airlines are still not flying to Dubai, and several have pushed their return into 2027. If you are planning a winter trip to or through the UAE, here is who is flying, who isn't, and what to check.
What we know
- British Airways is back, once a day. BA105 was scheduled to leave Heathrow at 20:05 on 3 November and land in Dubai at 07:45 on 4 November, with the return BA104 leaving Dubai at 10:00 on 4 November. Both were listed as on time in BA's 2 November update (Gulf News). The airline plans to go to twice daily for summer 2027 (Travel Gossip).
- Abu Dhabi stays off BA's map for now. BA's direct UK–Abu Dhabi flights are not scheduled to return until the winter 2027/28 season (The National; Travel Gossip).
- Lufthansa Group returns on 25 November. Lufthansa plans five weekly flights each from Frankfurt and Munich, SWISS a daily Zurich flight and Eurowings a daily Berlin flight, all from 25 November. Austrian Airlines plans five weekly Vienna flights from 12 December (Gulf News).
- Some airlines are already back. Philippine Airlines returned to Dubai on 21 October, and Air Astana and Aegean Airlines have restored their services (Gulf News).
- Others are staying away much longer. According to Gulf News and The National:
- KLM: suspended until 27 March 2027
- Air Canada: suspended until the end of March 2027
- Singapore Airlines (SQ494/SQ495): suspended until 28 February 2027
- Cathay Pacific: suspended until 31 January 2027
- Finnair: suspended for the 2026/27 winter season
- Luxair: return postponed to February 2027 at the earliest
- Korean Air: suspended until further notice
- Virgin Atlantic: no return before 2027 (The National reports October 2027)
- ITA Airways: suspended until 30 November
- Air France: suspended until 7 November (The National)
- Why. The airlines give different reasons. KLM says it is avoiding Iranian, Iraqi and Israeli airspace and parts of the Arabian Gulf. Korean Air cites limited airspace capacity linked to the conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran. Wizz Air told The National that longer routings around restricted airspace make its Abu Dhabi and Dubai flights "commercially unviable" this winter (The National).
What it means for travellers
- From London, a direct option is back. If you were waiting for BA, you can now book Heathrow–Dubai again, though with only one flight a day this winter (Gulf News).
- From much of Europe and Asia, expect connections. Travellers in the Netherlands, Finland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada and Korea will not have their home airline's non-stop service to Dubai for months, based on the dates above (Gulf News).
- Abu Dhabi has fewer options than Dubai. BA, Wizz Air and others have not set a near-term return to Abu Dhabi (The National).
- Saudi connections are still patchy. If your trip continues from the UAE to Saudi Arabia, Emirates and Etihad were still cancelling some Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah flights on 3 November, and Etihad's Riyadh and Dammam flights were cancelled until 5 November (Dubai Standard).
- Dates keep moving. Several of these suspensions have already been extended more than once. Singapore Airlines, for example, first planned to return in August (The National).
What to do
- Check your booking directly with the airline before you leave home, not just the date on your ticket. Air Canada, for example, has asked passengers not to go to the airport without a confirmed, operating flight (The National).
- If your flight is cancelled, ask about rebooking or a refund. ITA Airways and Cathay Pacific say affected passengers can rebook or request a refund, and Lufthansa says it will contact affected passengers directly (The National).
- Read your government's travel advice. The UK Foreign Office does not advise against travel to the UAE, but it says the regional situation "remains deeply unpredictable." It tells travellers in or passing through the Middle East to be prepared for flight cancellations and airspace closures, and to keep departure plans under review (FCDO).
- Leave slack in connections. If you are connecting onward through the Gulf, avoid tight same-day connections on separate tickets while schedules are still changing.
What happens next
The next restarts to watch are Air France after 7 November, Lufthansa, SWISS and Eurowings on 25 November, ITA Airways after 30 November and Austrian Airlines on 12 December (The National; Gulf News). We'll update this story if those dates change.
Sources
- UAE winter travel: more Dubai flights resume, which airlines remain grounded — Gulf News
- Middle East flights: KLM, Singapore Airlines and Air France extend suspensions — The National
- United Arab Emirates travel advice — UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
- British Airways to resume direct Dubai flights — Travel Gossip
- UAE flight updates on November 3: latest cancellations, delays and airline resumptions — Dubai Standard