Has Dubai Airport reopened? Latest update as first Emirates flights to likes of London and Manchester take-off

Emirates and flydubai have announced that a limited schedule is operating from Monday March 2. However, Dubai Airport and the airlines have stressed that passengers must not travel to the airport unless they have been contacted by their airline.

The situation remains dynamic and is assessed continuously. Emirates states that it will develop its schedule accordingly.

This morning (Tuesday 3 March), according to FlightRadar24, five Emirates aircraft departed from Dubai Airport. The planes were bound for Jeddah, Manchester, Paris, London, and Frankfurt. 

Dubai Airport said in an update: "During this period, flight schedules will continue to adjust as airlines reposition aircraft and rebalance their global networks. Travellers should continue to check directly with their airline for updates, even if a flight has previously been confirmed.

"Operations are being progressively scaled in coordination with airlines and relevant authorities. Dubai Airports continues to closely monitor the situation in coordination with the relevant authorities, and our focus remains on maintaining the highest standards of operational safety, security, and wellbeing of passengers and staff. Further updates will be shared through official channels."

Flights are beginning to operate from Dubai Airport, but the airport itself is not fully open. A limited number of flights also began to depart from Dubai Airport last night (Monday 3 March).  Listed below were the flights scheduled to depart yesterday evening:

• EK500 to Mumbai
• FZ8081 to Novosibirsk
• EK542 to Chennai
• FZ8489 to Moscow
• EK512 to New Delhi (boarding)
• EK568 to Bangalore
• FZ8205 to Kazan
• EK524 to Hyderabad
• FZ8263 to Yekaterinburg
• FZ1469 to Warsaw
• FZ1107 to Belgrade
• FZ1329 to Bucharest

The United Arab Emirates (OMAE) airspace is not outright closed, but remains restricted by way of Emergency Security Control of Air Traffic (ESCAT) zones, effectively limiting commercial air traffic. According to FlightRadar24, during a three hour window, between UTC 10:39 and 13:35 Etihad had 16 flights departing from Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH), but that window now appears to have closed.

The closure of Iranian airspace has been extended until an estimated 03 March at 08:30. Jordan has announced that its airspace will be closed on a daily basis, between UTC 1500 and 0600, until 05 March. This will continue to affect flights.

The widening war between Iran and the US and its allies has entered its fourth day. UK bases are now in play in the conflict, but only so the US can strike defensively to protect countries being targeted by Tehran. This is understood to include the joint US-UK Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.