Airlines from the Gulf, Europe and Asia are extending suspensions of flights to Saudi Arabia, with some cutting Riyadh services into 2027, as King Khalid International Airport operates only partially after a Houthi missile attack in October.
Etihad Airways has cancelled all passenger and cargo flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh and Dammam until 19 November, though its Abu Dhabi–Jeddah service has resumed with up to four flights a day, The National reported. “The situation remains dynamic and further changes are possible,” the airline said.
Emirates’ Dubai–Riyadh and Dubai–Dammam flights were cancelled until at least 13 November, with Jeddah back at two flights a day and Madinah operating normally. flydubai has suspended Dubai–Riyadh and Dubai–Abha with no confirmed restart date, and Air Arabia has cancelled some Sharjah–Riyadh and Sharjah–Abha flights.
Further afield, Lufthansa has suspended Riyadh until 18 November and Dammam until 30 November, KLM has halted Riyadh and Dammam until 27 November, and Air France will not return to Riyadh until 12 December, according to Gulf News. India’s IndiGo has suspended Riyadh and Dammam until 30 November. The longest suspensions are at British Airways, which has cut London–Riyadh until 11 January 2027, and Cathay Pacific, which has suspended Riyadh until 31 January.
Delta Air Lines has postponed the launch of its Atlanta–Riyadh route to March 2027, and Singapore Airlines has pushed back its planned Riyadh service to 28 March 2027. Qatar Airways resumed Riyadh on 13 November and Dammam on 14 November, but its Abha and Taif flights remain suspended.
Saudia and flyadeal have moved some Riyadh operations to Qassim Airport, with bus transfers to the capital, after Riyadh Air shifted six routes to Al Qassim in October.
The airport suspended operations after a deadly Houthi attack on 10 October and partially reopened on 25 October, with limited traffic at Terminal 1 for domestic flights and Terminal 2 for international flights by Saudi carriers. Terminal 3 remains closed because of damage. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) continues to advise EU operators to avoid a high-risk area of Saudi airspace that includes the airport.
Elsewhere in the region, the UAE has suspended flights by Iranian carriers Iran Airtour, Caspian Airlines and Karun Airlines “until further notice”, and Emirates and flydubai have suspended Dubai–Tel Aviv, Gulf News reported. The disruption has already hit results: Air Arabia’s third-quarter profit fell 42%. Outside the region, a telecoms failure halted all US departures for more than four hours on Friday.
