Dubai Limits Foreign Airlines to One Flight per Day

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), is limiting the operations of foreign airlines to just one daily flight to airports in the city until the end of May 2026, specifically from Monday (20 April 2026) to Sunday (31 May 2026). This information was obtained from a personal email to airlines on Friday (27 March 2026). “Operators remain limited to one rotation per day until capacity allows for more rotations. Additional slots will be allocated if capacity is available,” the statement said, quoted from Reuters on Wednesday (15 April 2026). The restriction on foreign flights in Dubai is a consequence of the war between the United States (US)-Israel and Iran. This restriction has triggered concerns about revenue losses among Indian airlines. This is because they had planned more flights than other countries in April and May. Air India and its low-cost carrier, Air India Express, have scheduled more than 750 flights to Dubai International Airport during that period. Meanwhile, IndiGo has scheduled 481 flights, followed by Saudia and Gulf Air, which have each planned 480 and 404 flights respectively. Then SpiceJet India has planned 61 flights. In other words, if this restriction rule is implemented, it means only 30 or 31 flights per month for each foreign airline. In light of this, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), which represents IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet airlines, has asked the Indian government to urge Dubai authorities to revoke the restriction rule. If the request is rejected, FIA will consider implementing reciprocal policies against several Dubai airlines, such as Emirates and flydubai. It should be noted that Indian airlines are currently under financial pressure due to high fuel costs. Airlines from India also have to take longer routes to destinations in the western region. This is because they have been banned from using Pakistani airspace since last year, as a result of military tensions between the two countries. FIA has also conveyed to the Indian Government that the restriction does not apply to Dubai airlines, such as Emirates and flydubai. Thus, this is seen as creating unfair competition that could lead to significant revenue losses.