15 more stranded freighters leave UAE

At least fifteen more freighters operated by thirteen carriers — including the only 777-300ERSF stranded in the region — made their way out of the United Arab Emirates today after being stuck there since Feb. 28 as a result of the U.S. and Israel-Iran war. The UAE closed its airspace Feb. 28 after the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran. The country began gradually reopening its airspace on March 2 to allow a few flights. [caption id="attachment_57295703" align="aligncenter" width="2048"] Unit 25262 was one of the freighters that left DWC. (Courtesy/Aerotranscargo)[/caption] Cargo Facts on March 2 identified around fifty freighters stranded across the Gulf . Some began to leave in the late evening and early morning local time. Kalitta Air’s seventh 777-300ERSF (33865, ex-Emirates) was one of the fifteen freighters that left the region today, flying to Liege (LGG) from Dubai World Central (DWC). It had landed at DWC from Hong Kong (HKG) on Feb. 28. The other stranded freighters that have left the UAE as of 18:00 ET today include: A Cargolux 747-8F (61169) that departed DWC for Ho Chi Minh City (SGN); An Aerotranscargo 747-400BDSF (25262) that departed DWC for LGG; A Fly Meta 747-400BDSF (26343) operated by Air Atlanta Europe that departed DWC for Bucharest (OTP); An ASL Airlines Ireland 747-400F (33945) that departed DWC for HKG; A Kalitta Air 747-400F (25868) that departed DWC for Amsterdam (AMS); An Atlas Air 777F (69788) that departed Abu Dhabi (AUH) for AMS; Two FedEx 777Fs (66263 and 41737) that departed DWC for Paris (CDG); A Challenge Group 767-300BDSF (30301) that departed DWC for LGG; A UPS 767-300BCF (40363) that departed DWC for Cologne (CGN); A My Freighter 757-200PCF (32386) that departed DWC for Almaty, Kazakhstan (ALA), and Tashkent, Uzbekistan (TAS); An IndiGo A321-200P2F (3334) that departed DWC for Bengaluru, India (BLR); A SolitAir 737-800BCF (33023) that departed DWC for Nairobi (NBO); and An Air Eagle 737-300BDSF (25263) that departed DWC for Karachi, Pakistan (KHI). UAE, Bahrain freighters As airports in the UAE continue to ramp up commercial flights, carriers continue to reposition their freighters and prepare to resume operations while closely monitoring events in the region. While UAE-based SolitAir saw one of its 737-800 freighters safely depart today, it hopes to restart full-scale operations on March 4, the company said in a LinkedIn post today. The carrier still has two units (33567 and 34014) along with three more 737-800 freighters on ACMI (32686, 34251 and 30879) from ASL Airlines Ireland at DWC. Another UAE-based startup, Fly Vaayu, has one A320-200P2F (2164) grounded at Ras Al Khaimah, UAE (RKT), and a second (2288) at AUH. “The situation here at this point is fluid,” Vijay Arumbakkam, chief executive of Vaayu Group, told Cargo Facts . “We are working with the local regulatory and government ministries to address the current scenario.” Seven freighters are still on the ground in nearby Bahrain, including five DHL units. “The airspace closure of several countries in the region is causing disruptions, affecting both passenger and cargo air traffic. This has an impact on our air network,” Richard Gale, vice president of DHL Aviation in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, told Cargo Facts . “We are closely monitoring the situation and taking the necessary actions to manage our operations, in line with civil aviation, government guidance and established safety and security protocols.” DHL will use contingency plans that include alternative routings and multimodal transport if they can be safely implemented, Gale said. Cargo Facts will present four invaluable events for airfreight professionals in 2026, the next of which is <a style="color: #ff0000;" href="https://cargofactsevents.com/asia/?utm_campaign=22235567-CF%20Asia%202026&utm_source=Editorial&utm_medium=article%20event%20footer&utm_term=CF%20website&utm_content=Learn%20More&utm_source=Weekly+Update+-+Cargo+Facts&utm_campaign=fbe548904b-CF+Update_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_621baa6827-fbe548904b-40083601&mc_cid=fbe548904b&mc_eid=adbe8bb0b4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cargo Facts Asia on March 23-25. To see the agendas and register for the events, visit CargoFactsEvents.com .

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