Dubai Limits Foreign Flights to Indian Airlines until May 31 Amid Fuel Price Pressures

Dubai restricts foreign airlines to one daily flight

The restriction, imposed due to Iran crisis, is set to end on May 31. Indian carriers under financial pressure from higher fuel prices and longer routings fear revenue loss.

Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) asks India to push Dubai authorities for lifting curbs or consider reciprocal measures on Dubai carriers including Emirates and flydubai.

Indian carriers already facing challenges due to ban on using Pakistani airspace since last year, following military tensions between the two nations.

In a private email to airlines dated March 27, Dubai Airports stated that carriers would be allowed one round trip per day to Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) during summer season.

FIA told Indian government that curbs were not being applied to Dubai’s airlines such as Emirates and flydubai, creating an uneven playing field.

Dubai Airports and Dubai’s media office did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Flydubai said its flight schedules approved by relevant authorities. Emirates did not respond.

Measures come after Emirates and other Gulf airlines have long complained about India’s bilateral air service agreements that cap the number of seats that can be deployed between countries.

Indian authorities say such pacts protect Indian airlines in cutthroat market.

India was largest source of passengers for DXB in 2025, with 11.9 million travellers passing through the hub.

The one-flight-per-day cap would mean 30 or 31 per month for each foreign airline, versus hundreds of daily flights being flown by Emirates and flydubai.

IndiGo told Reuters that Middle East crisis and new Dubai restrictions significantly constrained its operations as it had an approved summer schedule of 15 daily flights from India to Dubai.

Air India, SpiceJet and Indian authorities did not respond to requests for comment. Other major airlines such as Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, and British Airways have cancelled all flights to the city until at least May 31.