RuAviation

Flights scheduled for March 11 will mark the final stage of Aeroflot’s repatriation program for passengers stranded in the Persian Gulf region. After that date, the Russian flag carrier will suspend regular services between Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

According to the airline, the restrictions will remain in effect from March 12 through March 31. Aeroflot said its future schedule will depend on developments in the region.

The airline estimates that approximately 7,600 passengers holding Aeroflot tickets remain in the UAE. To complete the repatriation effort, the carrier plans to operate 19 widebody flights using Boeing 777 aircraft. These flights are expected to return all passengers with confirmed bookings.

Since March 3, Aeroflot has already operated more than 20 flights from the UAE, transporting over 8,000 passengers.

Passengers are being notified using the contact details provided at the time of booking. Aeroflot and partner tour operators are sending flight information by phone and email, including departure date and time. Passengers who decline the offered repatriation flight are eligible for a full refund.

For flights to the UAE canceled with departure dates through March 31, passengers may request a full refund or rebook without change fees, subject to seat availability. Rebooking is available on the same route and in the same class of service for travel between April 1 and October 24, 2026.

Passengers may also adjust the duration of their stay at the destination when reissuing tickets, subject to coordination with the airline. In addition, Aeroflot allows changes to the travel destination with payment of any applicable fare difference, while waiving the standard rebooking fee.

If a flight from the UAE scheduled between March 12 and March 31 is canceled (or from Abu Dhabi starting March 10), passengers are eligible for a full refund. They may also rebook free of charge on available flights departing the UAE on March 10–11 to their original destination in Russia.

Another option allows passengers to postpone travel to flights from the UAE to the same destination between April 1 and October 24, 2026. Aeroflot notes that operations during this period will depend on the regional situation and therefore cannot be guaranteed.

Amid restrictions on Middle East routes, Aeroflot is reallocating part of its long-haul capacity to leisure destinations. The airline has scheduled additional flights between Moscow and Bangkok, Phuket, Malé and Colombo in March. These services target passengers whose international transit itineraries on foreign airlines have been disrupted.

The additional program includes 12 round-trip services:

• Moscow–Colombo (Mar. 13, 18, 21, 25, 27; return flights Mar. 14, 19, 22, 26, 28)
• Moscow–Phuket (Mar. 13, 21, 28; return flights Mar. 14, 22, 29)
• Moscow–Bangkok (Mar. 15, 22; return flights Mar. 16, 23)
• Moscow–Malé (Mar. 18, 25; return flights Mar. 19, 26)

The additional capacity includes approximately 9,874 seats on routes to Thailand, 5,394 seats on flights to Malé and 4,020 seats on services to Colombo.

By redeploying widebody aircraft, Aeroflot aims to partially offset the loss of transit traffic caused by restrictions on Middle East routes.