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The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) has urged the Ministry of Civil Aviation to adopt a "calibrated and reciprocal approach" after authorities at Dubai International Airport imposed temporary limits on the number of flights foreign airlines can operate.
In a letter dated March 31 addressed to the ministry, the industry body representing Indian carriers flagged that the restriction could create an uneven playing field for domestic airlines operating to Dubai. The FIA, which represents major Indian carriers including Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet, said the move follows a communication issued by Dubai airport authorities. "The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA)... wishes to draw the Ministry's urgent attention to a recent communication dated 27 March 2026 received from Dubai International Airport (DXB) authorities," the letter stated. According to the letter, Dubai authorities have directed airlines to cancel certain flights for the Northern Summer 2026 season. "As per the said communication, DXB authorities have mandated flight cancellations for the Northern Summer 2026 (S'26) season... effective from Monday, 20 April 2026 to Sunday, 31 May 2026," the letter said. It added that during this period foreign airlines will be allowed to operate only limited services. "During this period, foreign carriers have been restricted to only one rotation per day, until further capacity becomes available," the FIA said. However, the airline body claimed that carriers based in the United Arab Emirates are not facing the same restrictions. "It is pertinent to highlight that UAE-based carriers, namely Emirates (EK) and Flydubai (FZ), have already resumed operations to India at pre-disruption levels and are not subject to similar restrictions," the letter stated. The FIA warned that such differential treatment could lead to market distortions and operational challenges for Indian airlines. "The continuation of such restrictions on Indian carriers is already leading to anti-competitive market conditions, operational inefficiencies, substantial revenue losses, and passenger inconvenience and disruption," the letter said. The body has requested the ministry to take up the issue with Dubai authorities to ensure fair treatment for Indian airlines. "In light of the above, FIA respectfully requests the Ministry to urgently examine the matter and approach Dubai authorities for immediate removal of this restriction for Indian carriers so that Indian carriers can reinstate operations to Dubai (DXB) to pre-war levels," the letter said. If the restrictions continue, the airline body has also asked the government to consider reciprocal measures. "In the absence of such relief, we further request the Ministry to consider the implementation of appropriate reciprocal measures to ensure parity and fairness, i.e., restricting the operations of Dubai carriers to the level of cumulative seat capacity deployed by Indian carriers on services to/from Dubai (DXB)," the letter added. The FIA said such steps would help ensure a level playing field for Indian carriers operating international flights to Dubai. (ANI)
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