Flights Between the UAE and Saudi Arabia Are Being Scrubbed Day by Day

Travelers using Gulf hubs are facing a patchwork of cancellations as regional security tensions continue to ripple through the airline schedule. As of October 21, flydubai has cancelled services to Riyadh, Dammam and Abha, Emirates has listed cancellations on its Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam routes, and Etihad has cancelled its Abu Dhabi flights to those three Saudi cities through October 24.

Other carriers are adjusting too. Air Arabia has cancelled numerous Abu Dhabi and Sharjah services, Air India is suspended on Saudi routes through October 24 and Akasa Air through October 27, and Qatar Airways has trimmed Jeddah from seven daily flights to four. Flights by Iranian airlines to and from the UAE are suspended until further notice, as is the Emirates and flydubai codeshare to Tel Aviv.

The numbers show the strain. On October 20, Middle East airports recorded 1,133 delays and 182 cancellations, according to one tracker-based tally. The UAE accounted for 452 delays and 50 cancellations, with Dubai International the hardest hit at 234 delays and 24 cancellations. Riyadh’s King Khalid International logged 45 cancellations, the most of any airport surveyed, while Istanbul led on delays with 246.

Reports cite recent drone and missile activity affecting Saudi aviation, though authorities have not confirmed the precise cause of every disruption. Anyone with a ticket touching the region should check flight status directly with the airline before heading to the airport, keep booking records, and ask about rebooking or refunds early, since suspensions are being extended in short increments.

Sources: Gulf News, Travel And Tour World