Etihad Airways has resumed some flights from Abu Dhabi, with Flightradar24 showing take offs departing for London Heathrow, Paris, Amsterdam and Moscow.
The first flight, EY67 to London Heathrow, took off from Zayed International Airport at 2:39 pm local time (11:39 am CET), and quickly became the most tracked flight on the website.
The airline had posted on social media at 1:44 pm local time that all flights to and from Abu Dhabi have been suspended until 2 pm local time tomorrow Tuesday 3 March.
A source at Zayed International Airport told Euronews that Etihad is resuming operations to some destinations, including Mumbai, Karachi, Delhi and Cairo.
Passengers should check with their airlines for updates before travelling to the airport.
Other Etihad Airways flights currently in the air include EY843 to Moscow, EY41 to Amsterdam, EY33 to Paris Charles de Gaulle, EY204 to Mumbai, EY300 to Islamabad, EY216 to Delhi, EY555 to Riyadh, and EY611 to Jeddah.
Flights to Europe are taking a route through Oman before crossing into Saudi Arabia. Neither country has closed its airspace, although there have been cancellations on airlines operating to destinations such as Dubai, Doha and Kuwait.
Airspace closures and flight cancellations across the Middle East
Iran’s retaliatory strikes across the Gulf region have caused travel chaos, with thousands of passengers stranded in countries including the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.
Emirates has suspended all flights to and from Dubai until 3 pm local time (12 pm CET) on Tuesday 3 March. Emirates and Etihad are the UAE’s two flag carriers.
Qatar’s airspace is closed, with Qatar Airways saying it would provide an update by 9 am local time (7 am CET) on 3 March.
Bahrain Civil Aviation Affairs has also closed the country’s airspace, with flag carrier Gulf Air saying the next update would be given at 11 am local time (9 am CET).
Kuwait has closed its airspace. No details have been shared about when an update will be given about its reopening.
Airlines including Turkish Airlines, Air France, KLM, British Airways and Finnair have cancelled or rescheduled flights to destinations in the region.
While Saudi Arabia’s airspace remains open, some airlines have cancelled flights to the country.
Private jet demand soaring across the Gulf
Airspace closures have reportedly seen expats that are trapped in the UAE driving to either Oman or Saudi Arabia to catch a private jet out of the region.
Alexander Graham, director of Luxe Jets, told the FT that “half of Dubai is booking”.
According to the publication, one operator was charging €22,900 per seat on a jet leaving Oman for Milan.