Lufthansa and Swiss were scheduled to resume Dubai services starting tomorrow (October 25, 2026) from Zurich, Frankfurt, and Munich, and Eurowings from November 1st, but these plans have now been put on hold.
Now, Lufthansa Group has decided to suspend these services until November 25, 2026, likely due to renewed tensions in the region.
Lufthansa Group’s Announcement:
In light of the current situation and outlook in the Middle East, Swiss and Lufthansa Group decided today to postpone its planned resumption of flights to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) until 25 November 2026. Previously, Swiss and Lufthansa were scheduled to begin service on 25 October, and Eurowings on 01 November. Affected passengers will be contacted directly by their respective airlines and will be offered flexible rebooking options or a full refund.
European Union Air Passenger Rights EC 261/2004:
Passengers booked on these now-canceled services are eligible for rerouting on airlines that are currently operating, or, if you were only going to transit in Dubai, to your final destination, bypassing the region altogether.
Note that the passenger can choose to be rerouted at the earliest convenience, or opt for a full refund even on non-refundable tickets.
Note that if Lufthansa, Swiss, or Eurowings informs you about their service cancellation less than 7 days before departure, the passenger is eligible for the EC 261/2004 cash compensation unless the passenger is offered rerouting that departs no more than 1 hour before the scheduled time and arrives no less than 2 hours later.
If you were informed between 7 and 14 days before, you are not eligible for the 600 euro compensation if the replacement flight leaves no more than 2 hours before or arrives no more than 4 hours later.
Even past the 14 days, the airline is required to pay the compensation if they don’t rebook the passenger at the earliest convenience, i.e., claiming that they can only rebook you on select partner airlines.
There is no carve-out for this on EC 261/2004 rules.
Conclusion
Things are heating up again in the Gulf, albeit the temperature is dropping.
I don’t plan to be back until mid-December on a LUFTHANSA GROUP airline, no less.
Let’s see if there are further delays in Lufthansa Group airlines starting Dubai and other Gulf services.