Dubai has restricted foreign airlines to just one daily flight to its airports until May 31 due to the Iran crisis, a Reuters report said citing a Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) letter.
This has ignited revenue loss fears among Indian carriers that had planned more flights than airlines from any other country, letters showed.
FIA, which represents top carriers IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet, has asked Indian authorities to push Dubai authorities to lift the curbs.
In a private email to airlines on March 27, seen by Reuters, Dubai Airports said carriers would be allowed one round trip per day to Dubai International Airport (DXB) and the smaller Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) during the summer season between April 20 and May 31, extending restrictions implemented after the war began.
"Carriers continue to be limited to one rotation per day, until capacity allows more to be facilitated ... Additional slots will be allocated if capacity is available," it said.
Air India and its budget carrier Air India Express have scheduled more than 750 flights into DXB in that period. IndiGo has 481, followed by Saudia and Gulf Air, which planned for 480 and 404, respectively. India's SpiceJet had planned 61.
The one-flight-per-day cap would mean 30 or 31 per month for each foreign airline, according to Flightradar24 data.
The FIA told the Indian government the curbs were not being applied to Dubai's airlines such as Emirates and flydubai, creating an uneven playing field that could lead to "substantial" revenue losses.
India was the largest source of passengers for DXB in 2025, with 11.9 million travellers passing through the hub.
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