A FlySepehran aircraft from Tehran landed at Dubai International Airport on 29 June, restoring the first direct commercial air link between Iran and the United Arab Emirates since the outbreak of hostilities in February 2025. The flight, operated by an Iranian carrier, marks a tentative reopening of one of the region’s busiest corridors, though service remains extremely limited: the airline’s schedule shows only sporadic departures, with the next connections listed for 1 July and 8 July. No UAE-based operator has yet resumed flights to Iran, and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has extended its conflict-zone advisory until 3 July, recommending that airlines continue to avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Lebanese airspace entirely and exercise caution over Bahrain, Kuwait, Israel, Jordan, Qatar, Oman, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Viewed from Tehran, the resumption is a practical step toward normalising connectivity after what Iranian state media describe as a short break. Imam Khomeini International Airport reopened on 9 June, and officials say arrangements are in place to reactivate the Tehran-Dubai route. Iranian carriers are expected to lead the initial phase, with UAE airlines potentially joining later. The move coincides with a reported telephone conversation between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the first known direct contact between the two sides since the war began. According to sources cited by Bloomberg, Abu Dhabi has also signalled a shift toward diplomacy, following the example of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, though the UAE foreign ministry denied a Reuters report that it had agreed to unfreeze Iranian assets.

From the perspective of Gulf aviation hubs, the cautious pace reflects both security assessments and the political fallout of the conflict. The UAE absorbed the heaviest share of Iranian retaliatory strikes during the February–June 2025 period, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launching over 3,000 missiles and drones at Emirati territory, according to regional security estimates. This prompted Abu Dhabi to adopt what analysts in the Gulf describe as the hardest line against Tehran among US allies, including cuts to economic and cultural ties. The EASA advisory, while noting a reduced risk level compared with the peak of fighting, underscores that the situation remains fragile and requires ongoing monitoring.

For carriers operating on the periphery of the conflict zone, the timeline for restoring full capacity stretches further into the future. Philippine Airlines announced it will resume direct Manila–Dubai flights only from 2 October 2026, with four weekly services and introductory fares from $650. The airline’s chief executive, Richard Nuttall, had earlier indicated that Doha flights might restart from July 2025, but the Dubai decision was deferred. Before the disruptions, Middle Eastern routes accounted for roughly 7 per cent of the carrier’s overall capacity. The staggered resumptions illustrate a broader pattern: while the first direct flight from Iran to the UAE represents a symbolic breach in the aviation blockade, a return to pre-war frequency and the lifting of safety warnings remain contingent on the trajectory of diplomatic engagement and the durability of the April 2025 ceasefire.