Airlines operating between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia continued to cancel flights on this Wednesday (the 14th), amid fears of new attacks by the Houthi militia. The disruption spread across the kingdom’s air network following a series of deadly attacks on airports.
According to Middle East news sites, more than 300 departures at Saudi airports scheduled for Wednesday have already been canceled or listed as not operating, while the total number of flights affected in the past week surpassed 3,100.
The disruption affected Emirates, Etihad Airways, Flydubai, Air Arabia and several international airlines, with King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh remaining closed at least until next Saturday (the 17th).
According to Cirium, the latest data from the aviation analytics company, by the end of Tuesday, 313 of the 1,097 Saudi airport departures scheduled for October 14 were listed as canceled or not operating, representing 28.53% of services.
Updated data also show that 556 of the 1,058 departures on Tuesday were canceled or marked as not operating, representing 52.55%.
Monday was the worst day, with 632 of the 1,048 scheduled departures canceled or not operating, equivalent to 60.31%.
In total, more than 3,100 flights, or about 40% of regular services, were affected between October 8 and 14, according to the data.
See the latest update by airline:
Emirates: Emirates continues to face significant disruptions in its Saudi network, especially on the Dubai–Riyadh route. Services to Dammam, Jeddah and Medina have also been canceled in recent days, though the disruption does not affect all flights on these routes.
Etihad Airways: Etihad Airways confirmed that all flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh have been canceled through Monday (19/10), extending the suspension of services between the United Arab Emirates’ capital and Saudi Arabia into next week. The airline also canceled flights to Dammam and Jeddah, with different dates applied to the affected routes.
Flydubai: The airline extended flight cancellations to several Saudi destinations until October 19, including Riyadh, Dammam and Abha. The Tuesday announcement extends a previous suspension covering services through October 14. In a statement, a flydubai spokesperson confirmed that the airline would anticipate further changes to its scheduled operations in Saudi Arabia due to the current situation. One notice
Air Arabia: Air Arabia has already faced cancellations on selected routes connecting Sharjah to Saudi Arabia. Earlier cancellations also affected services to Taif and other Saudi destinations. Some of these services still appear on flight-tracking schedules for October 14, though their presence does not determine whether they will operate. The warning is that, given the ongoing closure of Riyadh airport, travelers should not rely solely on published schedules.
Qatar Airways: Qatar Airways temporarily suspended flights to and from Riyadh and Dammam due to the regional situation. The Doha-based airline did not announce a confirmed restart date for the affected routes. Passengers traveling between Qatar and Saudi Arabia are advised to check directly with the airline for the latest operational information.
International airlines: Several international airlines extended the cancellations, with some delaying services until the end of this year or into 2027. According to Reuters’ latest airline update issued on October 13, the following measures remain in effect:
Air France–KLM: Services to and from Riyadh have been suspended through the end of October.
Air India: Flights to and from Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah have been suspended until October 17.
Akasa Air: Flights to and from Riyadh and Jeddah have been suspended until October 17.
Cathay Pacific: The resumption of the Hong Kong–Riyadh and Hong Kong–Dubai routes has been postponed to January 31, 2027.
Delta Air Lines: The planned launch of the Atlanta–Riyadh service has been postponed to March 2027.
Gulf Air: Flights between Bahrain and Riyadh were canceled from October 12 to 17.
IndiGo: Flights to and from Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Medina have been canceled until October 17.
Lufthansa Group: All flights to Riyadh have been canceled through October 16.
Malaysia Airlines: Flights to and from Jeddah and Medina have been canceled until October 17 as a precaution.
Philippine Airlines: Services to Riyadh have been suspended until November 29.
When will Riyadh airport reopen?
The General Authority of Civil Aviation of Saudi Arabia has extended the suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport while authorities conduct safety inspections and assessments of the airport’s operational readiness.
A notice issued on Monday indicated that the airport would remain closed until 21:00 on October 17, which corresponds to midnight at the start of October 18 in Saudi time.
However, this represents the currently published closure deadline, and not a guaranteed reopening time.
The closure follows repeated attacks on the airport by the Houthi movement, aligned with Iran, in Yemen, including a deadly attack on Saturday, October 10, which killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300.
Passengers are advised to check their airline’s official flight-status service before traveling to the airport, especially since new cancellations and schedule changes remain possible.
