October 25, 2026 — Lufthansa, SWISS and Eurowings were set to return to Dubai with this weekend’s winter schedule change. The Lufthansa Group has now pushed that return back to November 25, 2026, citing the situation in the Middle East.
What happened
SWISS confirmed on Friday, October 23 that it was delaying its Dubai return after reviewing it with the Lufthansa Group. The group carriers have not flown to Dubai since March, when the Iran war began. Lufthansa said the decision reflects “the current situation and outlook in the Middle East.”
| Airline | Route | Was due to restart | New target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lufthansa (LH) | Munich–Dubai | October 25 | November 25 |
| Lufthansa (LH) | Frankfurt–Dubai | October 26 | November 25 |
| SWISS (LX) | Zurich–Dubai, LX242/243 (A340-300) | October 27 | November 25 |
| Eurowings (EW) | Planned daily Berlin–Dubai | November 1 | TBA (removed for now) |
Eurowings had already dropped its planned Dubai flights from Stuttgart and Cologne/Bonn a few days earlier, citing high jet fuel costs, according to Travels Dubai. SWISS says November 25 is still a target that depends on its ongoing review of the region.
Other Middle East suspensions are still in place. AeroCorner reports that Lufthansa Group service to Riyadh (including SWISS, Austrian and Edelweiss) is suspended through November 18. TheStreet notes that Air France and KLM have also delayed their Dubai restarts several times, and that Emirates and Etihad are the main ways into and out of Dubai right now.
Passengers
Affected ticket holders will be contacted directly. They can rebook flexibly or get a full refund. Lufthansa also warned that fake websites posing as the airline are showing up in search results. Use only the channels listed on lufthansa.com.
What it means for non-revs
- No Lufthansa Group option to Dubai until at least November 25. If you were counting on an LH, LX or EW flight in late October or November, you will need another plan.
- Other carriers. Emirates and Etihad are carrying most of the Europe–Gulf traffic. Rebooked revenue passengers from the group carriers will likely fill some of those seats, so check loads closely before listing.
- November 25 is not guaranteed. This is at least the third postponement. Do not plan a late-November or early-December trip around the group’s return until flights are actually operating.
- Riyadh is also off the map for the group through at least November 18.
Sources
- SWI swissinfo.ch (Keystone-SDA) — Swiss extends the suspension of its flights to Dubai
- TheStreet via Yahoo Finance — Lufthansa exits entire market until end of November
- Travels Dubai — Lufthansa, Swiss extend Dubai flight suspensions until November 25
- 20 Minuten — Swiss Dubai-Flüge: Lufthansa-Gruppe streicht Wiederaufnahme kurzfristig wieder
- AeroCorner — Riyadh Airport Reopens Oct 25, Terminals 1-2
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