RuAviation

Russian carriers have completed a series of evacuation flights from the United Arab Emirates and other Persian Gulf countries following the escalation of the Middle East conflict involving Israel, the United States, and Iran. Hostilities led to partial or full closure of regional airspace, disrupting regular commercial services. A significant number of Russian nationals remained stranded in airports and hotels, requiring urgent repatriation.

S7 Airlines operated 13 flights between March 3 and 11 from Dubai and Fujairah, transporting 2,248 passengers—seven flights to Moscow (1,188 passengers) and six to Novosibirsk (1,060 passengers). Flights followed approved routes with fuel stops in Antalya or Samarkand. Scheduling depended on slot approvals. All flights to the UAE between March 12 and 31 have been canceled, with resumption contingent on stabilization of the situation.

Pobeda Airlines conducted 20 flights from March 3 to 8 from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and the airline’s newly served airport in Fujairah, carrying over 3,600 passengers, including children. Seventeen flights were bound for Moscow: six from Dubai, four from Abu Dhabi, and seven from Fujairah. Three additional flights operated from Fujairah to Makhachkala.

Ural Airlines completed 18 flights from March 4 to 10, repatriating over 3,000 passengers: nine flights to Moscow, six to Yekaterinburg, and three to Sochi. The first flight departed Dubai for Yekaterinburg on March 4 with 222 passengers on board.

Aeroflot previously reported that final flights SU525 and SU521 to Moscow were completed on March 11. Between March 3 and 11, the Aeroflot Group operated 46 flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, transporting 13,100 passengers—9,500 on Aeroflot flights and the remainder on Pobeda. Flights to the UAE have been suspended until conditions normalize.

During the final meeting of Rosaviatsiya on March 11, Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev stated that approximately 59,000 passengers were repatriated from the Middle East during the evacuation period. In addition to Russian airlines, foreign carriers such as flyDubai (serving Moscow, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, and other Russian cities) and Oman Air also operated evacuation flights.