UAE airports resume partial operations as airlines restore services

Airports in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) partially resumed flight operations on Sunday, following disruptions caused by recent regional tensions.

Dubai International (DXB) and Al Maktoum International (DWC) have resumed limited operations, while airports in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah are also operating a reduced number of flights. Access to terminals is restricted to passengers with confirmed bookings, according to airport authorities.

Major UAE carriers, including Emirates, Etihad Airways, flydubai, and Air Arabia, have resumed a limited number of flights and advised passengers to check flight statuses, as schedules remain subject to change.

On Saturday, flight operations at several UAE airports were temporarily suspended due to regional security concerns but gradually resumed later in the day.

Earlier that day, air raid sirens sounded several times at Dubai International Airport as the UAE Ministry of Defense reported intercepting missiles and drones fired from Iran.

Eyewitnesses told China Media Group (CMG) that explosions were heard near Dubai International Airport on Saturday morning, with smoke rising into the air. Passengers were evacuated to underground shelters, and check-in procedures were suspended until operations gradually resumed around midday.

The Chinese Consulate General in Dubai confirmed that several airlines, including Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, and Emirates, are preparing to resume flights between Dubai and cities in China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, to assist stranded passengers. Several confirmed flights are scheduled to operate on Sunday.

UAE airports resume partial operations as airlines restore services

Cheng Li-wun, chairperson of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, expressed gratitude to Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, for his goodwill, and urged all political parties in Taiwan to work together for peace.

She made the remarks at a press conference in Beijing on Friday after meeting Xi.

"I sincerely hope that all political parties in Taiwan shall give up their differences and work together for peace when it comes to cross-Strait relations. General Secretary Xi also showed this significant goodwill just now. Such exchanges certainly will not be confined to exchanges between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. I believe such a broad vision and open-mindedness are something the Chinese Kuomintang is very pleased to see. We are not here today for the selfish interests of a single party. We are here today because we have our historical responsibility, and because we cannot allow Taiwan or the Taiwan Strait to fall into a battlefield. So we are taking the lead. Now that we have begun to blaze the trail, and it will only become ever smoother and broader going forward," Cheng said.

Invited by the CPC Central Committee and Xi, Cheng is the first KMT chairperson to have led a delegation to the Chinese mainland in a decade. The delegation, on a six-day visit, had visited Jiangsu Province and Shanghai before coming to Beijing.

KMT chairperson expresses appreciation for Xi's goodwill, urges peace