The disparity in air traffic access between India and Dubai is coming under scrutiny at a time when airlines on both sides are operating under exceptional conditions due to the ongoing Gulf conflict, sources told businessline.

Accordingly, the issue was recently flagged by the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) in a communication to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), seeking a review of capacity deployment in the current environment.

In the communication, FIA told MoCA that Dubai International Airport (DXB) authorities have mandated flight cancellations for the Northern Summer 2026 season between April 20 and May 31, restricting foreign carriers to only one rotation per day during this period.

However, UAE-based carriers such as Emirates and FlyDubai have resumed operations to India at pre-disruption levels and are not subject to similar restrictions, resulting in what industry stakeholders described as an uneven playing field.

Separately, industry sources told businessline that Emirates and FlyDubai together operate around 35 daily flights between Dubai and multiple Indian cities, while Indian carriers continue to have limited ability to scale up services on these routes, despite sustained demand on the corridor.

Meanwhile, in its communication, the FIA noted that the continuation of such restrictions is already leading to anti-competitive market conditions, operational inefficiencies, substantial revenue losses, and passenger inconvenience.

Speaking to businessline, industry stakeholders said that with portions of airspace restricted, Indian carriers flying to Europe and the United States are being forced to take longer routings, resulting in higher fuel burn and extended flight durations, in almost all cases adding hours to flight time.

These operational challenges, coupled with higher fuel consumption, are further straining airline economics at a time when cost pressures across the sector remain elevated, sources added.

“The imbalance becomes more visible in situations like this. Indian carriers are dealing with longer routes and higher operating costs, while also having limited room to expand capacity where demand exists,” an airline executive said.

According to industry stakeholders, the current situation reflects how capacity and access are being managed during a period of disruption, with airlines seeking a more balanced approach under existing bilateral arrangements.

Consequently, the industry body has urged the government to engage with Dubai authorities to remove the restrictions and allow Indian carriers to restore operations to pre-disruption levels.

It has also suggested that reciprocal measures could be considered, including restricting the operations of Dubai carriers in line with the cumulative seat capacity deployed by Indian airlines on the route.

Published on April 5, 2026