Kenya Airways has reinstated daily flights between Nairobi and Dubai from 14 May 2026, responding to renewed demand across business, leisure and connecting travel markets.
The route is expected to strengthen access between East Africa and the Gulf while supporting onward tourism flows into the region.
According to kenyans.co.ke, over the past two and a half months, flights to and from Dubai have faced significant turbulence due to regional geopolitical tensions, though the situation is finally stabilising.
Kenya Airways had largely halted scheduled flights to Dubai for more than two months, operating only a limited number of special services during that period. The airline plans to start with one flight daily and will progressively increase frequency as demand and security conditions allow. KQ will resume scheduled flights from Nairobi to Dubai on Thursday, May 14, as the situation in the Middle East begins to normalise. “We will operate daily frequencies between Nairobi and Dubai, with additional frequencies to be introduced progressively in line with demand and operational requirements,” KQ said in a statement on May 13.
The airline added: “The safety of our guests and crew remains our top priority, and we continue to work closely with the relevant authorities to ensure safe and seamless operations.” Even as KQ resumes daily flights, Dubai International Airport (DXB) continues to experience disruptions, with fresh delays reported across the region this week. Dozens of flights across the Gulf were delayed or cancelled in recent days due to a combination of post-conflict recovery and structural pressures on regional capacity. Before the suspension of operations on February 28, KQ was operating 14 flights per week on the Nairobi–Dubai route. This schedule consisted of two direct flights daily.
During the hiatus, Kenya Airways operated repatriation flights intended to bring Kenyans home from Dubai, beginning with flight KQ304 on March 4. Some of these services were occasionally cancelled due to security concerns. With the latest announcement, KQ becomes one of the first East African carriers to fully restore scheduled passenger operations on the route.
