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Indian airlines seek government intervention Dubai caps foreign flights
10 Apr 2026

Dubai has imposed a restriction on international flights, allowing only one daily flight from foreign carriers to its airports until May 31.

The move comes in light of the ongoing US-Iran conflict and is expected to heavily impact Indian airlines.

The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), representing major carriers like IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet, has urged the Indian government to intervene with Dubai authorities for lifting these restrictions.

Revenue losses for Indian carriers
Revenue impact

The FIA has warned that the restrictions could lead to significant revenue losses for Indian carriers. This is because they had planned more flights to Dubai than any other country.

The restrictions are not applicable to Dubai's own airlines, such as Emirates and flydubai, which further exacerbates the situation for Indian carriers.

Financial pressure on Indian airlines
Financial strain

The restrictions come at a time when Indian airlines are already under financial pressure due to high fuel prices and longer routings to Western destinations.

This is because they have been barred from using Pakistani airspace since last year amid military tensions between the two countries.

Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices in India have nearly doubled, with Delhi's rate crossing ₹2.07 lakh per kilolitre.

One-flight-per-day restriction
Flight limitations

In a private email to airlines on March 27, seen by Reuters, Dubai Airports announced the one-flight-per-day restriction for foreign carriers.

The limitation is applicable during the summer season from April 20 to May 31 at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).

"Carriers continue to be limited to one rotation per day, until capacity allows more to be facilitated," the email read.

Scheduled flights into Dubai
Flight schedules

India was the top passenger source for DXB in 2025, with 11.9 million travelers.

The new cap will hit Indian airlines hard, according to Cirium's April and May schedule data.

Air India and its low-cost subsidiary Air India Express have more than 750 flights scheduled into DXB during this period.

IndiGo follows with 481 planned flights, while Saudia and Gulf Air have scheduled 480 and 404 respectively.

IndiGo's response to crisis
Operational impact

IndiGo said the Middle East crisis and Dubai's extended restrictions have "significantly constrained" its operations as it had an approved summer schedule of 15 daily flights from India to Dubai.

"As a result, a significant portion of IndiGo's capacity and aircraft time is currently underutilized," the airline said in its first comments on the crisis.