(1 March 2026 | Source: Flightradar24, dw.com, euronews.com)
While Iran was launching retaliatory strikes on the Middle East, and an explosion occurred in the Palm Jumeirah area of Dubai, private jets and cargo planes from Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Kazakhstan were landing at airports in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The editorial team at FBRK examined the recorded flight routes.
28 FEBRUARY
On the morning of 28 February 2026, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced a "pre-emptive strike" on targets inside Iran.
Later, US officials confirmed the involvement of the United States of America (USA) in these strikes. President Donald Trump called on the Iranian army to lay down its arms.
Iran launched retaliatory strikes on Israeli territory and US military bases in the Middle East. A state of emergency was declared in Israel. The retaliatory strikes also affected other countries in the region, including the UAE.
On the evening of the same day, an explosion occurred in the area of the Palm Jumeirah artificial archipelago in Dubai. A fire broke out near the five-star Fairmont Palm hotel. According to preliminary reports, four people were injured — all were hospitalised.
UAE officials did not disclose the nature of the "incident". On social media, speculation circulated about a possible fall of an Iranian missile, its debris, or a Shahed-type drone. Authorities urged calm and advised relying solely on official sources.
On 1 March, it became known about the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as well as fresh strikes in Dubai (UAE), Doha (Qatar) and Manama (Bahrain).
WHAT FLEW INTO THE UAE ON THAT DAY
According to Flightradar24 data, on 28 February several aircraft from CIS countries arrived at UAE airports.
Uzbek carrier Centrum Air operated flight MFX358 on a new Airbus A320-251N along the route Dubai — Samarkand. On the same day, Uzbekistan Airways sent a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Dubai to Tashkent. Uzbek cargo carrier SkyGuard operated flight SGA2552 on a Boeing 757-28A along the route Yaoundé (Cameroon) — Abu Dhabi.
Belarusian airline Belavia operated flight BRU717 on a Boeing 737-8ZM from Minsk to Dubai.
On 27 February, the day before the escalation, several Russian aircraft also arrived in the UAE. Airline Tarp Aviation operated flight RLA7775 on a Bombardier Global Express along the route Moscow (Vnukovo) — Dubai (DWC). Company Solaris Aero sent a Mitsubishi Challenger 850 from Moscow to Dubai, with the aircraft having previously flown routes via Samarkand and Dhaka on the same day.
A Russian-registered Bombardier Global 6000 (private owner, tail number RA67160) also landed in Dubai on 27 February. Another Bombardier Global 6000, registered in San Marino (tail number T7-DAL, private owner), flew from London to Sharjah on 27 February.
Kyrgyz cargo carrier Aerostan operated a Boeing 747-228F on routes between Dammam, Fujairah, Karachi and Macau — the last recorded flights date back to 20 February.
KAZAKH AIRCRAFT IN THE REGION
Earlier, the FBRK editorial team reported on Kazakh aircraft in the UAE. An Embraer Legacy 650, registered to Euro-Asia Air, flew into Dubai from Dushanbe on 25 February — the aircraft had arrived there in transit from Phuket via Moscow. A second Embraer Legacy 650 belonging to carrier FlyJet.kz landed in Abu Dhabi from Moscow on 25 February.