Parked Emirates aircraft at Dubai airport.Image: keystone
March 4, 2026, 2:02 p.mMarch 4, 2026, 2:05 p.m
The air traffic closures due to the Iran war continue. The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority announced that the airspace would remain closed until Saturday. According to local information, the airspace of Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar also remains closed.
State airline Qatar Airways said it would provide a further update on the situation on Friday. The government in Doha had previously announced that more than 8,000 people were stuck in the country and others were on cruise ships.
Kuwait’s international airport was the target of a drone attack on Saturday. Several employees were slightly injured and damage was also caused to one of the passenger terminals.
No flights to and from Dubai until Saturday
Jordan reopened its airspace on Tuesday after a brief closure. The airports in Saudi Arabia and Oman are open, but there are still disruptions to air traffic due to the closures in neighboring countries.
The United Arab Emirates resumed limited air travel after a temporary suspension to allow stranded passengers to leave. At midday, Emirati airline Emirates announced it would suspend all scheduled flights to and from Dubai until Saturday night due to airspace closures in the region. However, a limited flight schedule remains in place.
Many want to fly out of Dubai with a private jet
In light of the Iran war, some people are also trying to get out of the Gulf region on chartered private jets.
The charter flight provider Global Charter told the German Press Agency (dpa) that they had received a very high number of inquiries from people who wanted to leave Dubai quickly. The provider Jet-VIP also spoke of increased demand for spontaneous flights since the tensions began in the Gulf.
Not only the usual customers, but also business travelers and families contacted them, company boss Altay Kula told the dpa.
Global Charter said the prices for such flights are significantly higher than usual. The reason for this is, among other things, insurance conditions. Kula justified the prices, among other things, by the fact that flight routes were sometimes becoming longer in order to avoid certain airspaces. In addition, demand is high, but the number of jets and personnel willing to fly in the area is limited. The companies did not provide exact prices.
(pre/sda/cma)