- Indian airlines are facing loss of revenue due to flight restrictions imposed in Dubai.
- The airline group calls for reciprocal measures.
- Last year, India was the main source of passengers at Dubai Airport.
Dubai has limited foreign airlines to just one daily flight to its airports until May 31 due to the Iran crisis, triggering fears of lost revenue among Indian carriers that had scheduled more flights than any other country’s airlines, according to letters.
The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), which represents major airlines IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet, has asked India to push Dubai authorities to lift restrictions and, failing that, consider reciprocal action against Dubai airlines including Emirates and flydubai, according to a letter sent to the Indian government on March 31.
Indian carriers are already under financial pressure from rising fuel prices and longer routes to Western destinations, as they have been barred from using Pakistani airspace since last year, following military tensions between the two neighbors.
In a private email to airlines on March 27, seen by ReutersDubai Airports said carriers would be allowed one round trip 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 to facilitate more… Additional slots will be allocated if capacity is available,” it said.
The FIA told the Indian government that the restrictions were not applied to Dubai airlines such as Emirates and flydubai, creating an uneven playing field that could lead to “substantial” revenue losses.
Dubai Airports and the Dubai Media Office did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Flydubai said its flight schedules had been approved by the relevant authorities. Emirates did not respond to a request for comment.
The moves come after Emirates and other Gulf airlines have long complained about India’s bilateral air services agreements that cap the number of seats that can be deployed between the countries. Indian authorities have said such agreements protect Indian airlines in this cutthroat market.
Indian carriers hardest hit by caps
India was the largest passenger source for DXB in 2025, with 11.9 million travelers passing through the hub.
Dubai’s caps will hit Indian airlines hardest, according to data from Cirium’s April and May calendars.
Air India and its budget carrier Air India Express have scheduled over 750 flights to DXB during this period. IndiGo has 481, followed by Saudia and Gulf Air, which respectively planned 480 and 404. The Indian company SpiceJet had planned 61.
The one flight per day cap would mean 30 or 31 per month for each foreign airline, compared to hundreds of daily flights operated by Emirates and flydubai, according to Flightradar24 data.
IndiGo said Reuters in a statement, which said the crisis in the Middle East and the new extensive restrictions in Dubai had “significantly limited” its operations as it had an approved summer schedule of 15 daily flights between India and Dubai.
“As a result, a significant portion of IndiGo’s capacity and aircraft 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 their flights to the city until at least May 31.
Instead, they are adding more nonstop flights between Asia and Europe to take advantage of the high passenger demand that has driven up prices.
