March the 19th, 2026 – Gulf air carriers have reduced their number of flights to Croatia and the immediate region as a result of ongoing conflict across the Middle East.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, airports across Croatia and the more immediate region are expected to continue to feel the impact of the ongoing war in the Middle East. A significant number of Gulf airlines are currently revising or totally cancelling flights to Croatia and to airports across the region. Qatar Airways has announced its revised flight schedule until March the 28th, with that airline not planning flights to either Belgrade or Zagreb during that period. Bucharest in Romania remains the only active route in the wider region with direct connections.
It should be stated that a Qatar Airways Airbus A320, registered A7-AHT, remains grounded at Belgrade Airport. The aircraft arrived in Serbia on February the 28th, and as the conflict in the Middle East escalated, it has remained stuck at the airport since then. The airline had planned to operate five weekly flights to the Serbian capital during the month of March, as well as a daily flight to Zagreb, Ex-Yu Aviation News reports.
Royal Jordanian Airlines is also delaying the launch of its new route between Amman and Belgrade. Originally scheduled to start on April the 1st, the route will now start only on April the 25th. Although Jordanian airspace has reopened after several brief closures, serious security concerns remain. Over the past week alone, Iran has launched 85 missiles and drones in the general direction of Jordan.
Jordanian air defences have intercepted 79 of them, while five drones and one missile did manage to fall inside the country’s territory. Civil defence teams and police responded to 93 reports of falling debris.
Flydubai is currently continuing to operate regular flights to Belgrade, Ljubljana, Sarajevo and of course to Zagreb. It should be noted however that the carrier has significantly reduced its operations and it remains to be seen what move it will make should things escalate again. Before the conflict arose, Flydubai had planned to operate 35 weekly flights to Croatia and the region in March, including seventeen weekly rotations to Belgrade, daily flights to both Ljubljana and Zagreb, and four weekly flights to Sarajevo.
The schedule has now been reduced to daily flights to Belgrade, four weekly flights to Zagreb, three weekly flights to Sarajevo and two weekly flights to Ljubljana. On outbound flights from these capitals, the airline is currently only transporting a few passengers per flight.
