British Airways restores one daily Heathrow-Dubai flight after eight-month pause

The first flight back

Flight BA105 left London Heathrow at 8.08pm on Tuesday 3 November and landed at Dubai International Airport at 7.33am on Wednesday 4 November, according to The National. The return leg, BA104, left Dubai at 9.45am that morning, the paper reported.

British Airways' published schedule shows a 20:00 departure and a 07:45 arrival, with the return leaving Dubai at 10:00 and landing at Heathrow at 14:55. Flightradar24 records cited by Gulf News identify the aircraft as a Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner registered G-ZBLA, which operated the return service the same morning.

The airline is running seven weekly departures from each city this winter, Gulf News reported, and says it plans to increase to twice daily, or 14 weekly, in summer 2027. Wales Online put one-way economy fares for November travel at £329 to £340, with return fares advertised from around Dh3,700. Before the suspension British Airways typically flew up to three times daily on the route, according to The Traveler, so the winter timetable is a partial restoration.

Why the route went quiet

Gulf airspace closed on 28 February 2026 as conflict broke out across the region. Reports differ on the trigger: Aerospace Global News cited US and Israeli strikes on Iran, while The Independent described missile strikes between the US and Iran. British Airways confirmed on 3 March that it could not operate services from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Bahrain, Amman and Tel Aviv. On 16 March the airline cited continuing uncertainty and instability in regional airspace when it announced further cuts to its Middle East schedule.

During the disruption it ran eight relief flights from Muscat to bring stranded passengers home and added capacity between London and Singapore and Bangkok.

The FCDO lifted its do not travel designation for 16 countries including the UAE on 18 June, after a ceasefire. That was separate from the October update, when the UK government revised travel advice for the same 16 countries to warn that conflict could disrupt travel; The Independent reported the new warnings went onto FCDO pages on 27 October. Current guidance remains cautious: "The context in the Middle East remains deeply unpredictable, and the risk of sudden escalation is high."

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said in guidance revised on 30 September that airlines should avoid airspace over Gulf waters within the UAE's Emirates Flight Information Region, except where necessary for arrivals and departures. That guidance remains valid until 16 November.

A cautious rebuild

The Dubai restart is part of a wider, reduced reopening of British Airways' Middle East network. The National reported that Doha resumed on 1 September at one flight a day, down from twice daily, and that Tel Aviv returned on 25 October with one daily flight. Amman is due back on 4 November four times a week, and Riyadh returns on 11 January 2027 at one daily flight, down from two before the suspension, according to TTG.

Abu Dhabi remains without British Airways until the winter 2027-28 season. The Independent reported that Etihad is the only airline flying direct from the UK to Abu Dhabi, from Heathrow and Manchester. Bahrain stays suspended until the end of March 2027, TTG said.

The restart date also moved. British Airways had pencilled in 25 October before pushing the return to 3 November. It says it keeps the regional situation under review.

What happens next

British Airways' next step on the route is the second daily Dubai flight in summer 2027. Lufthansa Group said its airlines Lufthansa, Swiss and Eurowings have postponed their Dubai restart to 25 November, and that Austrian Airlines plans Vienna-Dubai from 12 December with five weekly flights.

Others are staying away longer. KLM says it will not fly Amsterdam-Dubai this winter, up to and including 27 March 2027, and Air Canada says its Dubai flights stay cancelled until the end of March 2027. Singapore Airlines has cancelled SQ494 and SQ495 through 28 February 2027, citing the geopolitical situation in the Middle East. Virgin Atlantic has suspended its seasonal Dubai service for winter 2026-27, with a rebooking policy covering cancelled flights between 25 October 2026 and 27 March 2027; The National reported it does not plan to resume until October 2027.