Etihad Airways has announced that its flights to the Maldives, which were suspended due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, will resume from Friday.

In a statement, the airline said that flights will operate between Abu Dhabi and several destinations until 19 March as services gradually resume to selected routes.

During this period, flights will operate between Abu Dhabi and 25 major destinations worldwide. These include Velana International Airport in the Maldives as well as cities such as London, New York, Frankfurt, Milan, Paris, Toronto, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo and Bangkok.

Etihad stated that the decision to resume flights was made after confirming that all necessary safety considerations had been addressed in coordination with the relevant authorities.

However, the airline noted that several other scheduled flights to Abu Dhabi remain suspended. Etihad said additional routes may be reinstated depending on the situation.

The airline is also working to accommodate passengers whose travel plans were disrupted due to the suspension of flights.

Passengers who purchased tickets before 28 February and were scheduled to travel up to 21 March will be allowed to change their travel dates before 15 May 2026 without paying additional fees. Meanwhile, passengers scheduled to travel up to 10 March will also have the option to cancel their bookings and request refunds through an online form.

Etihad Airways is the national airline of the UAE and the country’s second-largest airline. The carrier began operating flights to the Maldives on 1 November 2011.

Following recent disruptions to international aviation caused by the conflict, the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation has begun efforts to bring additional airlines to the Maldives. Discussions are ongoing with airlines from Southeast Asia, East Asia and India to minimise the impact on travel to the Maldives.