Emirates and Etihad Airways ‌were resuming limited flight schedules to key global cities from their United Arab Emirates hubs on Friday, though the threat of missile fire piled pressure on airlines as they scramble to accommodate travellers.

With most airspace in West Asia still closed over missile and drone concerns since the start of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, authorities have been arranging charter flights and securing seats on limited commercial services to evacuate tens of thousands of people.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad said on Friday it would resume a limited flight schedule through March ⁠19. The flights will operate to and from Abu Dhabi and around 70 destinations, including London, Paris, Frankfurt, Delhi, New York, Toronto and Tel Aviv.

As of Thursday, traffic at Dubai airport, normally the world’s busiest, had almost doubled from Wednesday, but remained only about 25% of normal levels, flight-tracking website Flightradar24 said.

-Reuters