• Emirates, flydubai to restart limited flights from today.
• Etihad Airways announces resuming flights on Tuesday.
• Iran strikes targeted Gulf airports, airspace remains restricted.
  

Dubai Airports said “limited” flights would resume on Monday evening, three days after they were cancelled as Iran began striking targets in the Gulf, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports.

Global air travel remained in severe disarray since Sunday as sustained air strikes forced the closure of major Middle Eastern airports, including Dubai — the world’s busiest international transit hub — in one of the most significant aviation disruptions in recent years.

Transit gateways such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, as well as Doha in Qatar, were either shut down or operating under heavy restrictions, with large sections of regional airspace closed.

The disruption followed US and Israeli strikes that reportedly killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, plunging the Gulf into heightened uncertainty.

A fresh wave of attacks extended into a third consecutive day, deepening concerns over regional stability and prolonging the paralysis of air traffic.

“Dubai Airports announces a limited resumption of flights from Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) starting this evening, Monday, March 2, 2026,” it said in a statement.

Emirates and low-cost carrier flydubai both said they would resume some flights on Monday evening.

In a post on X, Emirates, one of the UAE’s flag carriers, said it would prioritise passengers with existing bookings. Travellers rebooked on the limited services will be contacted directly by Emirates.

All other flights remain suspended until further notice, the airline said, urging passengers not to travel to the airport unless formally notified. It added that operations will be adjusted in line with developments on the ground.

Eihad Airways, which operates flights from Abu Dhabi, said it would resume flights on Tuesday.

Iran’s unprecedented bombardment in the Gulf states has hit military bases but also civilian infrastructure such as residential buildings, hotels, airports and sea ports, rattling a region long seen as a refuge from Middle East conflict.

Since Iran launched its campaign on Saturday, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Manama airports were targeted.

Authorities reported one death in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi in the “incident” at the facility.

On Saturday, the UAE announced it had closed its airspace “temporarily and partially” as an exceptional precautionary measure.

Dubai’s main airport (DXB) ranks as the second-busiest worldwide, behind Atlanta in the United States, according to Airports Council International.

The airspace closures hit a vital sector for the city, with Dubai’s air industry accounting for about a third of the emirate’s economy.

LONDON: TV producer and journalist Jemima Goldsmith blamed her builders as she was convicted and fined £1,000 over a run-in with the Metropolitan Police over a case related to breaking the speed limit.

The 52-year-old, the former wife of PTI founder and leader Imran Khan, failed to respond to police letters after a Mini Clubman vehicle registered in her name was caught breaking the speed limit in north London.

Jemima Goldsmith eventually offered up the name of the guilty driver who had been using her car, but by then she had missed the deadline to respond to avoid court proceedings.

Explaining the blunder, Goldsmith blamed major renovation work on her £10 million Kensington home.

“Due to ongoing construction works at the property where my car is registered, which made access tricky, the original letter was mislaid by builders and I was unaware of its existence until October,” she wrote, in a note to Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

“As soon as it was received, I completed and returned the form immediately.”

Court papers show Goldsmith named a man called Anthony Reilly, who lives in Switzerland, as the person who had been driving the Mini when it was caught doing 46mph on a 40mph stretch of the A1 in Hampstead on August 28 last year.

But her response was dated November 4 – six days after the final police deadline and two months after the first notification of a speeding ticket.

In a letter to the court, Goldsmith also referenced the death of her mother, Lady Annabel Goldsmith, in October last year at the age of 91.

“My PA, who collects the post, had been on annual leave in October and my mother died on the 18th that month, so I was less on top of things than I am normally. I am very sorry for the delay and inconvenience caused. I fully accept that a fine is due.”

Goldsmith was convicted by magistrate Gladys Famoriyo of failing to give information relating to the identification of the driver of a vehicle when required.

The magistrate imposed a £1,000 fine, six penalty points for her licence, and also ordered Goldsmith to pay £130 in costs and a £400 victim surcharge.

Goldsmith, who is known professionally as Jemima Khan, is the founder of a TV production company and has worked as a screenwriter and magazine editor.

She married former cricketer Imran Khan in 1995, and they have two children together.

Documents filed with Kensington and Chelsea Council show Goldsmith successfully applied last year for permission to carry out major renovations on her home, including the demolition and “grand” rebuild of one of the wings of the luxury property.

She was prosecuted over her failure to identify the speeding driver in the Single Justice Procedure, a fast-track court process which spares defendants the need to come to court and allows magistrates to make decisions on convictions and sentences in closed-door hearings.

Goldsmith was among 1,905 defendants who were convicted and sentenced last week for failing to identify the driver of a vehicle when contacted by police.

More than 330 of those defendants lost their licence as a result of the conviction.

• Sharp rise in demand pushing private jet prices higher.
• Wealthy elites are fleeing to Saudi Arabia from Gulf countries.
• Riyadh eases visa rules amid ongoing Middle East crisis.
  

Private jet prices to evacuate Gulf countries are soaring after Middle East conflict escalates following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the joint strikes launched by the US and Israel.

The Middle East conflict expanded with no end in sight, with Israel attacking Iran and Tehran firing missiles and drones at the “US interests and bases” across the Gulf states.

Global airlines cancelled flights across the Middle East after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, driving private jet rental prices to record highs amid the travel chaos.

In view of the prevailing situation, wealthy elites are fleeing to Saudi Arabia to evacuate the Gulf, as Iranian missiles and drones rained over Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Qatar, and Bahrain —previously perceived to be safe countries.

Riyadh is becoming a key exit route for those looking for a safe route out of the Middle East, as the airport in the Saudi Arabia capital is one of few still operating.

Private security companies are reportedly booking fleets of SUVs to transport people on the 10-hour drive to Riyadh from Dubai and then are chartering private planes.

Among those being evacuated are senior executives at global finance firms and high-net-worth individuals who were holidaying in the region or were there on a business trip.

The sharp rise in demand for an emergency exit is pushing prices for SUVs and private jets up, as it has been reported that private jets from Riyadh to Europe now cost up to $350,000 (£260,000), The Daily Mail reported.

Saudi Arabia is seemingly the safest country to currently get out of the Middle East, after routes out of Oman were closed following Iran’s strike on the port and an oil tanker in the country on Sunday.

Riyadh hosts one major international airport – the King Khalid International Airport, about 35km from the city centre. The airport has five passenger terminals and usually flies to Europe, America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Visa rules have also loosened in Saudi Arabia, meaning many nationalities can get a visa upon arrival rather than in advance, making it appealing as an emergency exit route for many.

Saudi’s defence ministry confirmed two drones were intercepted and destroyed earlier today.