#279 Your Pilot Explains: Is It Safe To Fly Through Dubai?

Is it safe to fly through Dubai right now? On 14 July, EASA, the regulator behind every European airline, told its operators to avoid the airspace of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE at all altitudes, until at least 29 July. Dubai International is open. Emirates is flying one of its busiest summers ever. Both of those things are true at the same time, and this episode explains how.

I read the actual conflict zone bulletin word for word, unpack the one word in it that should get your attention (misidentification, the MH17 and PS752 word), separate the three things people keep mashing together (the airspace, the airport, the airlines), and walk through the real routing choices from Johannesburg to Europe. Then I give you my honest answer: what I would do flying alone, and what I am doing differently when my wife and kids are next to me.

In this episode of The Bryan Air Podcast, Bryan Roseveare explains the EASA conflict zone bulletin, Dubai airspace restrictions, Gulf airspace safety, whether Dubai airport is open, why Emirates is still flying, Dubai flight cancellations, and how to reroute from Johannesburg to Europe without the Gulf.

TIME-STAMPED FLIGHT PLAN

00:00 The EASA warning, read word for word

01:40 Misidentification: the word that scares pilots

02:48 Why now: the 72 hours before the bulletin

03:15 Airspace, airport, airlines: three different things

04:20 Do you even need the Gulf?

04:31 Joburg to Europe: every routing option

05:24 Why airlines are reacting so differently

06:33 What avoiding the Gulf actually costs you