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UAE airlines surpass 1,000 flights a day for first time since Middle East war started
UAE carriers Emirates, flydubai, Etihad and Air Arabia have combined reached nearly two-thirds of their pre-war capacity, according to data shared by Flightradar24
- PUBLISHED: Fri 24 Apr 2026, 4:52 PM
[Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog for the latest regional developments with the US-Israel-Iran ceasefire now in effect.]
UAE airlines operated over 1,000 flights a day for the first time on Thursday as the aviation sector continued to recover after the Middle East war involving the US, Israel and Iran.
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According to data shared by Flightradar24’s Gulf airline recovery index, the UAE’s four carriers – Emirates, flydubai, Etihad Airways and Air Arabia – operated 1,015 flights on April 23, the highest total since February 27.
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The local carriers operated 1,513 flights on February 27, a day before the Middle East war started. This means the UAE carriers have reached nearly two-thirds, or 67 per cent, of their pre-war capacity.
Dubai’s flagship carrier operated more than 400 daily flights on April 23 for the first time since February 27, nearly 80 per cent of its pre-war capacity, it said.
On Thursday, Emirates operated 410 flights, followed by Etihad Airways (229), Air Arabia (190) and flydubai (186).
The index measures the relative recovery of select Gulf airlines: Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Qatar Airways.
Airlines in the UAE and other Gulf countries experienced airspace closures as demand for travel to the region collapsed due to the war. The aviation sector is recovering fast since the ceasefire was announced by the US and Iran following the six-week war.
In an interview at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit in Berlin on Thursday, Emirates President Sir Tim Clark said he was confident that strong demand would help the airline and Dubai rebound from the impact of the regional military conflict.
Clark stressed that he was not worried about losing market share to rivals.
Kuwait on Thursday announced the reopening of its airspace after two months of closure due to the Iranian attacks.
Kuwait Airways and Bahrain’s Gulf Air were not currently included in the index due to airspace restrictions.
