Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad suspend flights; 100 daily Pakistan flights grounded during peak Umrah, Eid season
An Emirates airplane at Dubai International Airport, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 8, 2026. Picture taken by phone PHOTO: REUTERS
LAHORE:
Air operations across the world, including Pakistan, have been severely disrupted by the ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran, with the greatest losses being borne by airlines from Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. Six carriers from these countries have had 2,381 flights cancelled daily, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded.
From March 1 to March 10, only around 50 flights were able to take off, bringing the total number of cancellations over the ten days to 23,810.
According to statistics received by The Express Tribune, the six largest airlines in the Middle East – Etihad, Air Arabia, Flydubai, Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Kuwait Airways – collectively transport millions of passengers daily across Pakistan and the rest of the world.
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Before the disruption, Kuwait Airways operated 285 daily flights, Flydubai 343, Emirates 531, Etihad Airways 334, Air Arabia 305, and Qatar Airways 583 – the latter serving routes to and from Europe, the United States, Canada, India, Australia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and other countries. In the past ten days, however, only around 50 special flights from all six airlines have been able to depart.
The fleets of Qatar, Emirates, and Kuwait include some of the most advanced passenger aircraft in the world, equipped with modern technology and travel amenities, including the Airbus A380, A320, A350, A321, and the Boeing 777 and 787. Emirates’ business class is known for offering facilities ranging from private bedrooms to onboard shower services. Despite this, the Iran-US war has already inflicted losses worth billions of rupees on these carriers.
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Khawaja Ayub Naseem, leader of the Pakistan Travel Agents Association, warned that if the situation continues, the aviation industry will suffer severe losses. “Travel agents are already exhausted after processing ticket refunds, while hotel bookings worth billions of rupees remain non-refundable,” he said, questioning who would compensate for these losses.
Approximately 100 daily flights of these airlines used to operate out of Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, and Multan — all of which are now completely suspended. Naseem noted that this period is traditionally the peak season for Umrah and Eid travel, but that no positive developments are visible so far. He added that the government would also need to consider providing a bailout package to address the fallout.
