Gulf Air (GF, Bahrain International) launched a limited number of special flights out of Dammam on March 11, 2026, while concurrently repositioning some of its aircraft stranded at Bahrain International to Saudi Arabia.

The airline said that it would initially operate services to London Heathrow, Mumbai International, and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, and return. All scheduled flights remain suspended, and the rescue flights are only open to passengers who already hold a confirmed booking for one of the routes.

Gulf Air previously resumed rescue flights from Dammam, but did not advertise them to the public.

ch-aviation analysis of ADS-B data shows the airline is currently deploying two A320-200s, one A320-200N, one A321-200, one A321-200NX, and four B787-9s out of Dammam and Riyadh.

The airline repositioned additional aircraft from Bahrain to Al Ula International on March 10, 2026. This included four A320-200s, two A321-200s, and six A321-200NX.

Bahrain and Kuwait remain the last two Gulf countries with fully closed airspace due to the ongoing war in Iran and retaliatory strikes against Gulf countries. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates resumed limited operations in their respective airspaces, while Saudi Arabia and Oman never closed in the first place.