Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) and Gulf Air (GF, Bahrain International) resumed very limited flight operations on March 4-5, 2026, departing from airports in Saudi Arabia and Oman as the Bahraini and Qatari airspaces remain closed to all civilian operations.

Unable to fly any aircraft currently grounded at Doha Hamad International or Bahrain International, the airlines are deploying units that were outside their home countries when the airspaces were shut on February 28, 2026.

ADS-B data shows that Gulf Air reactivated three A321-200s to operate flights out of Dammam and Riyadh. The airline flew to Cairo International, Larnaca, Mumbai International, and Delhi International on March 4. Dammam is located just across the border from Bahrain and can be reached in about one hour by road. Gulf Air's scheduled services remain suspended indefinitely.

Meanwhile, Qatar Airways said it would begin limited rescue flights on March 5. It reactivated at least two B777-300ERs, one A350-900, one B787-8, and one B787-9 to operate flights from Muscat in Oman. While the airline's passenger operations have been on hold since February 28, Qatar Airways has continued limited freighter operations around the world throughout the crisis.

Emirates, in turn, became the first airline in any of the countries affected by the Iran war to resume limited scheduled flights on March 5. While the schedule remains curtailed, the airline said its flights are now open to booking, with priority given to passengers holding tickets for flights which were previously cancelled.

Following the limited reopening of the UAE, Syrian, and Israeli airspaces, the only countries with no passenger air traffic of any sort are Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait.