Bookings for long-haul flights to Dubai in July are dramatically below last year's levels, with sales down 50% on some routes. Cirium advanced-bookings data shows that for flights from London area airports to Dubai – the busiest corridor into the Middle Eastern hub, with Emirates alone operating 12 services per day up until the start of the outbreak of the Iran war in February – there were around half the bookings in the week to 30 April for July flying dates, compared with the same period of 2025. Likewise, from Paris Charles de Gaulle, the decline over the same period was 47%. Sales from New York area airports were down 54%. A similar dynamic can be seen on routes from Asia. From Singapore, flights booked in the week to 30 April for July travel to Dubai were down 40%, while from Bangkok they were down 54%. Cirium does not publish the number of bookings made within its advance-bookings data, only the changes. The data tracks sales from the three largest global distribution systems but not direct sales with airlines, and thus captures around 40% of the market. The findings demonstrate that despite moves by several Middle Eastern airlines to ramp capacity up quickly as airspace is fully reopened to traffic, it may prove difficult to entice travellers back to the region. Emirates, the largest airline in Dubai and a key player in connecting the region to the world, announced on 4 May that it had returned to near-full operations, with 96% of its global network having been restored. As of that date, the airline was operating to 137 destinations with over 1,300 weekly frequencies. "The airline is offering more flights, more seats and more options each day while reaffirming Dubai's position as a vital hub through which global travel moves," it says. Yet perhaps underlining the fragility of the situation, further missile and drone strikes were reportedly launched by Iran against the UAE on 5 May, causing disruption to flight operations. The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority lifted airspace restrictions across the country on 3 May, but Cirium data shows that scheduled flights at two key airports are still being reduced. Schedules processed on 1 May show that, compared with the week prior, carriers removed 607 weekly flights that were due to depart or arrive in the UAE from their May schedule. That included 518 removed by Emirates. Cuts were also made by Air India Express, Oman Air and Middle East Airlines. Belarusian carrier Belavia now shows as not operating any flights to Dubai this month, having just recently programmed a daily rotation from Minsk.

The United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority has lifted airspace restrictions across the country, however scheduled flights at two key airports are still reducing. The GCAA says in a 3 May social media post that there has been a "full resumption of normal air navigation operations across UAE airspace" following an evaluation of operational and security conditions. "Our priority remains the safety of our skies, and we continue to maintain continuous, real-time monitoring to ensure the highest levels of aviation safety for all," it adds. Airspace restrictions and some closures have been in place since the start of the Iran conflict on 28 February, with the UAE coming under repeated missile and drone attacks from Iran in early March, including some that appeared to target operations at Dubai International airport. Despite the positive news, Cirium schedules filings processed on 1 May show that, compared to the week prior, carriers have taken 607 weekly flights that were due to depart or arrive in the UAE from their May schedule. From Dubai, Emirates has pulled 518 weekly flights from its schedule for May. Reductions were also noted by Air India Express, Oman Air and Middle East Airlines, while Belarusian carrier Belavia now shows as not operating any flights to Dubai this month, having last week programmed a daily rotation from Minsk. More positively, the filings also show that Flynas will start operating daily services to Dubai from Jeddah and Riyadh, while Indian carrier Spicejet has added twice daily services there from Mumbai. Qatar Airways, meanwhile, is increasing Doha-Dubai flights from daily to twice-daily, but still lower than the 35 weekly flights it operated during May 2025. In Abu Dhabi, home carrier Etihad Airways has withdrawn 51 weekly flights between the two schedule filings, with Royal Jordanian, MEA and Syrianair also cutting back on flights to the UAE capital.

Spirit Airlines plans to spend nearly $11 million on retention incentives to keep key employees during its months-long wind-down. Court documents show that 95 employees will stay for up to three months for "execution and operational close" tasks; 25 will be retained for three to six months for "regulatory and financial close" tasks; and 10 for more than six months for "custodial and litigation" tasks. Spirit says the wind-down depends on retaining employees with "necessary institutional knowledge" and "specialised knowledge and skills" that may be attractive to other employers. With no long-term prospects at the airline and heavier workloads during the wind-down, Spirit proposes a one-time retention payment of 20% to 100% of base salary, payable at the end of the retention period, plus a medical stipend to the selected employees. Total cost, including taxes, is around $10.7 million, averaging about $76,000 per participant. The company also wants to retain three unnamed "mission-critical" senior managers, offering them a one-time incentive from wind-down asset sale proceeds. Spirit ceased operations on 2 May after failing to secure additional funding to continue its Chapter 11 process, which began in August 2025. Some staff have apparently already landed new jobs. For example, Tyler Norman, president and chief executive of Aero Engine Solutions, says in a LinkedIn post that he has "already hired one full-time records professional from the Spirit team" and has "multiple open positions". Meanwhile, the rest of Spirit's staff are set to lose their jobs and medical benefits by the end of the month. Remaining employees will keep health and welfare benefits until 31 May, while those terminated before then may be able to access temporary extended coverage through the Continuation of Health Coverage (COBRA) scheme.