Air France Returns to Dubai Tomorrow as Its Paris Suspension Expires Today: AF662 Resumes September 16 on a Boeing 777-300ER, Three Times Weekly — Ending One of 2026’s Most Stop-Start Route Sagas

After nearly seven months of cancellations, brief resumptions, and repeated week-by-week extensions, Air France’s Dubai route is finally scheduled to return — tomorrow.

Air France’s suspension of services between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Dubai International expires today, September 15, 2026, with published schedules listing flight AF662 from Paris to Dubai on Wednesday, September 16. The aircraft is scheduled to depart Paris at 1:40 PM and arrive in Dubai at 10:35 PM, operated by a Boeing 777-300ER. The return service, AF655, is listed to leave Dubai at 12:40 AM on September 17. The reinstated schedule runs three times weekly, with Paris departures on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

The return caps one of the more convoluted route sagas of 2026. Air France first cancelled its Dubai services on February 28, as regional airspace disruption widened across the Middle East. What followed was not a single long suspension but a chain of successive week-by-week extensions — through March 31, then repeatedly through spring and summer, then through August 18. The airline briefly resumed the route on August 26, ending a six-month hiatus, only to suspend it again from September 3. That renewed suspension was initially expected to run only through September 8, before being pushed to today’s date. Within the current window, Air France cancelled AF662 departures on September 2, 4, 6, 9, 11, and 13 — the 13th being the final planned Paris departure inside the suspension.

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Published: September 15, 2026 — Tuesday (Final Day of Suspension)
Route: Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) ↔ Dubai International (DXB)
Suspension expires: Today, September 15, 2026
First flight back: AF662, Paris to Dubai, Wednesday, September 16
AF662 timings: Departs Paris 1:40 PM, arrives Dubai 10:35 PM
Return service: AF655, departs Dubai 12:40 AM, September 17
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Frequency: Three times weekly — Paris departures Wednesday, Friday, Sunday
Original suspension date: February 28, 2026
Brief resumption: August 26, 2026 — re-suspended from September 3
Cancelled departures in current window: September 2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13
Cause: Regional security conditions and Middle East airspace assessments — not an airport closure
DXB status throughout: Fully operational; numerous other airlines continued flying
DXB traffic impact: Passenger traffic down more than 30% in H1 2026 versus the same period last year
Other carriers still returning: KLM (Amsterdam-DXB, October 24) · airBaltic (October 24) · Air Canada (October 24) · Cathay Pacific (October 25-26) · British Airways (October 25) · Finnair (October, winter season only)

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The Distinction That Mattered Throughout: Airline Decision, Not Airport Closure

One point worth emphasising for anyone who followed this saga with confusion: Dubai International Airport remained fully operational throughout. Emirates, flydubai, Etihad, Air Arabia and numerous other carriers continued operating. Air France’s suspension was an airline-specific safety decision based on its own rolling assessments of regional airspace risk — not a restriction imposed on the airport itself.

That distinction explains why a traveller could see headlines about Air France cancelling Dubai flights while simultaneously booking a Dubai flight with a different carrier without issue. It also explains why the various European and international airlines serving Dubai have returned on wildly different timelines: each made its own independent risk assessment rather than responding to a common external restriction.

Why the Repeated Extensions Are the Real Lesson Here

Air France’s Dubai route offers a useful case study in something travellers encounter regularly during periods of geopolitical disruption: an announced suspension end date is a planning assumption, not a guarantee. Over the course of 2026, this single route saw its return date pushed from March 31, through multiple spring and summer extensions, to August 18, then briefly resumed, then re-suspended with an expected September 8 return, then pushed again to today.

The practical takeaway for anyone booking travel on a route currently affected by Middle East disruption: do not assume service resumes simply because a previously announced suspension date has passed. Air France has consistently tied its restart decisions to local security assessments, which means schedules can change on relatively short notice in either direction.

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Who’s Still Waiting

Air France’s return tomorrow puts it well ahead of several other international carriers still working through their own Dubai suspensions. KLM — part of the same group as Air France — has indicated it intends to resume Amsterdam-Dubai services on October 24. Air Canada and airBaltic have also targeted October 24, while Cathay Pacific is scheduled for October 25-26 and British Airways for October 25, aligning with the start of the winter season. Finnair, which operates Dubai only as a winter-season route, plans an October restart.

For Dubai itself, the staggered returns matter: the emirate’s flagship airport saw passenger traffic fall by more than 30% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period the previous year, and each restored European link contributes to the ongoing capacity rebuild — restoring not just passenger connectivity for French tourism and corporate travel, but belly cargo capacity on the route as well.

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What to Do If You Have Dubai Travel Booked

✅ If you hold an Air France Dubai booking for September 16 onward, confirm your specific flight directly on airfrance.com before travelling — restart decisions remain subject to ongoing security assessment
✅ If your flight was cancelled during the suspension, you remain entitled to a full refund or fee-free rebooking; Air France has been offering both throughout
✅ If you’re booked on KLM, BA, Cathay Pacific, Air Canada, airBaltic or Finnair to Dubai before late October, check your carrier’s current status — several of these suspensions remain active
✅ Booking new Dubai travel? Consider carriers that have operated continuously (Emirates, flydubai, Etihad) if schedule certainty matters more than a specific alliance or loyalty programme

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Contacts

French DGAC (complaints): ecologie.gouv.fr/dgac UK CAA passenger rights: caa.co.uk/passengers Dubai Airports live status: dubaiairports.ae

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Posted By : Vinay

As a lead contributor for Travel Tourister, Vinay is dedicated to serving our Tier 1 audience (US, UK, Canada, Australia). His mission is to deliver precise, fact-checked news and actionable, data-driven articles that empower readers to make informed decisions, minimize travel risks, and maximize their adventure without compromising safety or budget.