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Paddle Your Own Kanoo • Mateusz Maszczynski

UAE air traffic edges toward normal as Emirates balances full‑capacity target with an extended reduced schedule

Air traffic in the UAE is gradually returning after regional disruptions, with authorities saying airports handled 1.4 million passengers since early March. Emirates says it aims to restore full international capacity by March 29, but will operate a reduced global schedule through at least March 28, 2026.

2026-03-14T04:00:20.302219-07:00

Reuters

Qatar Airways grounds 150+ aircraft, runs skeletal repatriation flights as Qatari airspace remains partially closed

2026-03-13T17:12:25.963807-07:00

Reuters

Chemical odor at Potomac TRACON evacuates controllers, triggers ground stops at DCA, IAD and BWI

2026-03-13T15:24:50.815995-07:00

Airways Magazine

FAA/ORD slot drama and DXB/DOH shutdowns to scramble 2026 flying

2026-03-13T12:13:48.911690-07:00

News Timeline

Reuters

Switzerland invokes neutrality — denies two U.S. military overflight requests tied to Iran conflict, permits three others Switzerland reviewed U.S. requests for military and official aircraft amid the Iran conflict. Invoking its law of neutrality, Bern denied two requests and authorised three, signalling a case-by-case approach to sensitive overflight permissions during heightened geopolitical tensions.

2026-03-14T14:04:46.267638-07:00

Switzerland invokes neutrality — denies two U.S. military overflight requests tied to Iran conflict, permits three others

Paddle Your Own Kanoo

UAE air traffic edges toward normal as Emirates balances full‑capacity target with an extended reduced schedule Air traffic in the UAE is gradually returning after regional disruptions, with authorities saying airports handled 1.4 million passengers since early March. Emirates says it aims to restore full international capacity by March 29, but will operate a reduced global schedule through at least March 28, 2026.

2026-03-14T04:00:20.302219-07:00

UAE air traffic edges toward normal as Emirates balances full‑capacity target with an extended reduced schedule

Reuters

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Qatar Airways grounds 150+ aircraft, runs skeletal repatriation flights as Qatari airspace remains partially closed Qatar Airways has grounded more than 150 aircraft and is operating a skeletal schedule after Qatari airspace was partially closed this week amid the regional conflict, running limited repatriation and humanitarian services that flew nearly 500 Indian nationals and a small number of relief rotations to Europe.

2026-03-13T17:12:25.963807-07:00

Qatar Airways grounds 150+ aircraft, runs skeletal repatriation flights as Qatari airspace remains partially closed

Reuters

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Chemical odor at Potomac TRACON evacuates controllers, triggers ground stops at DCA, IAD and BWI A strong chemical odor at the Potomac TRACON forced evacuation of air traffic controllers Friday and prompted FAA ground stops at Reagan National (DCA), Dulles (IAD) and Baltimore/Washington (BWI); the smell, blamed on an overheating circuit board, disrupted operations and caused delays expected through at least midnight.

2026-03-13T15:24:50.815995-07:00

Chemical odor at Potomac TRACON evacuates controllers, triggers ground stops at DCA, IAD and BWI

Airways Magazine

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FAA/ORD slot drama and DXB/DOH shutdowns to scramble 2026 flying Rohan and Vinay explain how FAA/ORD slot disputes and shutdowns at Dubai (DXB) and Doha (DOH) will reshape 2026 flying, creating schedule disruptions, capacity shifts and routing ripple effects that require airlines and airports to revisit slot allocations, contingency planning and network deployment.

2026-03-13T12:13:48.911690-07:00

FAA/ORD slot drama and DXB/DOH shutdowns to scramble 2026 flying

Reuters

Senator seeks watchdog probe into government use of laser anti‑drone system in Texas The top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Commerce aviation subcommittee has asked for a government watchdog investigation into two recent incidents in Texas involving government use of a laser‑based anti‑drone system, citing concerns about the deployments. It escalates congressional scrutiny of counter‑drone tools.

2026-03-13T04:24:22.360446-07:00

Senator seeks watchdog probe into government use of laser anti‑drone system in Texas

FlightGlobal

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Gulf airspace closures drive transit traffic through Kazakhstan as carriers cancel and reroute services Gulf airspace suspensions linked to the Iran conflict have prompted widespread cancellations and longer routings, forcing rapid network adjustments. Air Astana reports a surge in point‑to‑point and transit passengers after reallocating Gulf flying to Asian routes, while Etihad and other carriers operate limited, safety‑assessed schedules.

2026-03-13T03:28:37.426295-07:00

Gulf airspace closures drive transit traffic through Kazakhstan as carriers cancel and reroute services

aeroroutes.com

Lufthansa Group adds short‑notice long‑haul flights to Asia and Africa in March 2026 Lufthansa Group carriers will operate several additional long‑haul rotations in March 2026 to meet short‑notice demand and plug gaps caused by Middle East airspace disruptions. Planned extra services include a Frankfurt–Cape Town rotation (A340 departing Frankfurt 12MAR26) and ad‑hoc Asia routings across the group’s brands.

2026-03-12T13:04:35.739198-07:00

Lufthansa Group adds short‑notice long‑haul flights to Asia and Africa in March 2026

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ATC News

UAE air traffic edges toward normal as Emirates balances full‑capacity target with an extended reduced schedule

Qatar Airways grounds 150+ aircraft, runs skeletal repatriation flights as Qatari airspace remains partially closed

Chemical odor at Potomac TRACON evacuates controllers, triggers ground stops at DCA, IAD and BWI

FAA/ORD slot drama and DXB/DOH shutdowns to scramble 2026 flying

News Timeline