UAE Quits Pakistan Airport Deal After President Al-Nahyan's India Trip

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reportedly quit its proposal to operate Islamabad International Airport – an arrangement that had been under discussion since August 2025. The decision came after Sheikh Nahyan’s three-hour stopover in New Delhi, indicating a ripple effect of the visit, which made headlines, possibly triggering a ripple across South Asia’s geopolitical landscape, indirectly disadvantaging Pakistan.

The decision was reported by Pakistan’s daily The Express Tribune, citing sources as saying that the plan appeared to have been dropped as the UAE did not identify a local partner to whom operations could be outsourced despite showing initial interest.

However, the Pakistani media report did not directly mention the collapse of the deal due to political reasons, amid widening, strained ties between the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Once among the closest Gulf allies, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are now facing constraints in ties over the issue of Yemen.

Whereas Islamabad has recently signed a defence agreement with Riyadh and is seeking to establish what the reports describe as ‘Islamic NATO’, alongside Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The UAE has moved towards India by concluding a new defence agreement.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UAE President welcomed signing of Letter of Intent towards the conclusion of a Strategic Defence Partnership during the latter’s New Delhi visit.

Notably, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was in India for all of three hours on Monday, January 20, where he talked with PM Modi on trade and defence.