Which airlines have resumed operations in Middle East?

Selected airlines have cautiously resumed operations across the Middle East after three years of catastrophic geopolitical tensions following US-Israel strikes on Iran.

This left hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded and confused.

Here’s a list of air carriers that have resumed operations in the region:

UAE-based airlines

• Etihad Airways: Operating a limited number of repositioning, cargo, and repatriation flights from Abu Dhabi. Selected commercial flights are suspended at least until March 5.
• Flydubai: Operating limited flights from Dubai.

International airlines

• Lufthansa: Operating a limited repositioning flight (Abu Dhabi to Munich) with only pilots on board without any passengers.
• Air India: Resumed some flights, but caution remained for the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Qatar.
• IndiGO: Operating four return flights to Jeddah and Saudi Arabia.
• Air India Express: Resumed arrival and departure flights from Muscat, Oman.
• Akasa Air: Operating selected flights to Jeddah.
• Saudia: Operating some flights, though cancellations remain from Amman, Kuwait, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Bahrain, Moscow, and Peshawar until March 4.
• AirSial, Fly Jinnah, Flynas: Used the UAE airspace to fly between Saudi Arabia and India on March 2

Airlines with flights still suspended

• Qatar Airways
• Gulf Air (suspended till March 4)
• Oman Air (suspended till March 6)
• Kuwait Airways (operation suspended without a certain timeline)
• Air Arabia (suspended till March 5)
• British Airways (Flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain suspended until March 4; options for refunds/rebooking for Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Tel Aviv through March 15)
• Air France (Flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai, Riyadh cancelled until March 5)
• KLM (Suspended till March 5)
• Turkish Airlines (Flights suspended until an unlimited time)
• Delta Airlines (New York to Tel Aviv flights suspended until March 8)
• American Airlines (Doha to Philadelphia flights temporarily suspended)
• United Airlines (Suspended until further notice)
• Air Canada (Flights to Dubai and Tel Aviv suspended until March 23)
• Finnair (Daily flights to Dubai and Doha suspended until March 6)
• Norwegian (Suspended till March 4)
• Wizz Air (Suspended till March 7)
• Garuda Indonesia (Suspended until further notice)

Overall, around 20,000 passengers are suspended in the UAE alone, with more than 12,300 flights cancelled across seven major Middle East airports since February 28.