As the war between Iran and the US-Israel forces enters its sixth day, most scheduled flights across the United Arab Emirates remain at a standstill for the rest of the week.
Only close to 50 flights per hour have been allowed to fly for emergencies and repatriation purposes, after hundreds of people were stranded at various airports across the emirates when Tehran began its airstrikes across the Gulf.
Specifically, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has said that its flights will remain suspended till Friday, while Dubai-based Emirates has said that its flights will stay halted till Saturday.
Emirates has added that it will operate more than 100 flights to and from Dubai on Thursday and Friday.
"These services will carry passengers travelling to their final destinations, as well as essential cargo including perishables and pharmaceuticals," the Dubai-based airline said in a statement.
"Emirates will continue to gradually build back its flying schedule, subject to airspace availability and all operational requirements being met. Safety is always our top priority," it added.
SpiceJet will operate 13 special repatriation flights from the UAE to India on Thursday.
"Of the 13 flights, 12 will operate from Fujairah, and one will operate from Dubai. The airline will operate seven special flights to Mumbai, five special flights to Delhi, and one special flight from Dubai to Mumbai," it said in a statement on Thursday, as per an Indian Express report.
This also comes as six people were injured in Abu Dhabi's ICAD 2 area on Thursday due to shrapnel from drones/missiles shot down by the UAE's air defences.
In that regard, as per the latest notification from the UAE's defence ministry, the country's air defences shot down eight cruise missiles, 175 ballistic missiles, and 876 UAVs. Flyers have also been urged not to travel to the airports unless specifically instructed by their airline to do so.
Contrasting reactions
Amid the chaos in the Middle East that has almost halted the UAE's airports, passengers arriving at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport from Dubai offered ANI contrasting accounts of the situation.
According to passenger Rahul Saxena, panic had gripped the region, and "the sooner the government evacuates everyone, the better".
However, another passenger named Gautam Gupta claimed that everything was "normal" in Dubai and that he "did not face any difficulties", only adding that the "prices of the flights have increased".