Travellers caught in the disruption caused by the closure of UAE airspace now have pathways to rebook or recover the cost of their tickets, as the country’s major carriers moved to manage the fallout from Iran’s missile strikes on the UAE.
Etihad Airways is allowing passengers who booked before February 28th with travel dates up to March 2nd to rebook free of charge through March 15th, 2026. Those whose flights were cancelled outright can request a full refund through Etihad.com/help or via their travel agent. The Abu Dhabi-based carrier warned that high call volumes may slow processing times and urged passengers to keep their contact details current.
Emirates is giving affected passengers up to 10 days from their original travel date to rebook on an alternate flight to the same destination. Refunds are available for those who booked directly through the airline via an online refund form. flydubai, which shares Dubai as its home base, is matching that 10-day rebooking window and is also allowing passengers to switch to a different destination within the same country — an option Emirates has not publicly extended.
Sharjah-based Air Arabia is offering the widest range of choices: passengers can cancel and hold the value as credit, cancel entirely and still keep the amount as credit, or reschedule to a new date. The carrier recommends spacing any new departure at least 72 hours from the originally booked one.
All four airlines have suspended operations — Emirates, flydubai, and Air Arabia through 3:00pm on Sunday, and Etihad through 2:00pm on Monday — and each has urged passengers not to go to the airport without first confirming their flight status. Dubai Airports went further, explicitly advising travellers to stay away from both Dubai International and Al Maktoum International until further notice.
