- Indian airlines face revenue loss due to Dubai flight restrictions.
- Airlines Group calls for mutual measures.
- India was Dubai Airport’s biggest source of passengers last year.
Dubai has restricted foreign airlines to just one daily flight to its airports until May 31 because of the Iran crisis, igniting fears of a loss of revenue among Indian carriers, which had scheduled more flights than airlines from any other country, letters show.
The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), which represents top carriers IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet, has asked India to press Dubai authorities to lift curbs and, failing that, to consider reciprocal measures against Dubai carriers, including Emirates and flydubai, according to a letter it sent to the Indian government on March 31.
Indian carriers are already under financial pressure from higher fuel prices and longer routes to Western destinations, having been banned from using Pakistani airspace since last year, following military tensions between the two neighbours.
In a private email to airlines on March 27, seen by ReutersDubai Airports said airlines would be allowed one return flight per day to Dubai International Airport (DXB), normally the world’s busiest international travel hub, and the smaller Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) during the summer season between April 20 and May 31, extending restrictions implemented after the start of the war.
“Carriers continue to be limited to one rotation per day until capacity allows more to be facilitated … Additional slots will be allocated if capacity is available,” it said.
The FIA told the Indian government that the limits were not applied to Dubai’s airlines such as Emirates and flydubai, creating an uneven playing field that could lead to “significant” revenue losses.
Dubai Airports and the Dubai Media Office did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Flydubai said its flight plans were approved by the relevant authorities. Emirates did not respond to a request for comment.
The measures come after Emirates and other Gulf airlines have long complained about India’s bilateral air traffic agreements that limit the number of seats that can be deployed between the countries. Indian authorities have said such pacts protect Indian airlines in the cutthroat market.
Indian airlines are worst hit by caps
India was the largest source of passengers for DXB in 2025, with 11.9 million travelers passing through the hub.
The Dubai caps will hit Indian airlines the hardest, according to April and May schedule data from Cirium.
Air India and its budget carrier Air India Express have scheduled more than 750 flights to DXB during that period. IndiGo has 481, followed by Saudia and Gulf Air, which were scheduled for 480 and 404 respectively. India’s SpiceJet had scheduled 61.
The ceiling of one flight per day would mean 30 or 31 a month for each foreign airline, compared to the hundreds of daily flights flown by Emirates and flydubai, according to Flightradar24 data.
IndiGo told Reuters in a statement that the Middle East crisis and new Dubai extended restrictions “significantly limited” 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 flight time is currently underutilized,” IndiGo said in its first comments on the crisis.
Air India, SpiceJet and Indian authorities did not respond to requests for comment.
Other major airlines such as Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and British Airways had far fewer flights to Dubai than Indian carriers before the crisis began and have canceled all flights to the city until at least May 31.
They are instead adding more non-stop Asia-Europe flights to take advantage of strong passenger demand that has pushed up prices.
