UAE travellers face another unsettled day in the air. Cancellations and schedule changes continue to hit flights between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with Riyadh the main disruption point.
Emirates has cancelled its services between Dubai and Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh for Saturday, October 17, and Sunday, October 18. Medina is the only Saudi destination in the latest update with flights operating or scheduled. Etihad Airways has suspended specified services between Abu Dhabi and three Saudi cities, and Air Arabia has reported cancellations from Sharjah.
What each UAE airline has changed
Etihad has cancelled all flights between Abu Dhabi and both Dammam and Riyadh through Sunday. On the Abu Dhabi–Jeddah route, flights EY601 and EY602 are cancelled from October 12 to 18, while EY603 and EY604 are off until Monday, October 19.
Air Arabia’s cancellations from Sharjah cover routes to Dammam, Riyadh, Abha and Taif. Other services, including those to Jeddah, Medina, Gassim, Hail and Tabuk, are listed as operating, due to arrive or not yet departed. A “not yet departed” status does not mean a flight has been cancelled.
flydubai shows a mix of arrived, in-flight, estimated and scheduled flights to Jeddah, Medina, Gassim and Taif. No status information was available for several other Saudi routes, including Riyadh and Dammam. The absence of a status does not by itself confirm a cancellation, so passengers should contact the airline.
How deep the disruption runs
Saudi Arabia’s problems extend well beyond UAE carriers. Aviation analytics firm Cirium recorded 552 of 1,178 scheduled Saudi departures cancelled or marked “no-fly” on October 15, about 47 per cent. Its daily breakdown listed a slightly different total of 558, so the figure needs verifying.
Riyadh was the hardest hit, with 298 of 366 departures affected. Dammam recorded 60 of 131, Jeddah 87 of 385, Madinah 24 of 102 and Abha 20 of 44. Those numbers cover departures on a single day and do not reflect airlines’ wider networks.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh remains suspended through October 17, according to travel updates cited by Gulf News. Jeddah and Dammam are operating, though with delays and cancellations.
Indian and other carriers extend suspensions
Many UAE-based passengers connect through the Gulf to India, so the Indian carriers’ decisions matter here. Air India and Air India Express have suspended Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah flights until October 20. IndiGo has extended its suspension of Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah to October 24. Akasa Air has suspended Riyadh until October 24 and Jeddah until October 21. SriLankan Airlines has also extended its Colombo–Riyadh and Colombo–Dammam suspensions to October 24.
Government warnings
The US Mission in Saudi Arabia has warned of possible airport attacks, airspace closures and further flight disruption. It urged travellers to check flight status directly with airlines and to avoid filming or sharing images of missile interceptions or impact sites, which could carry legal consequences under Saudi law.
Australia has advised its citizens to avoid Riyadh’s airport and consider alternatives, including road and rail links to aviation hubs in the UAE and Qatar. That advisory, issued on October 16, underlines the UAE’s role as a fallback gateway for the region.
Weather adds to the pressure
The UAE’s own skies are not entirely clear either. The General Civil Aviation Authority said seasonal weather and reduced visibility in parts of the country could cause limited delays. The authority said airlines and airports are applying standard safety procedures.
What passengers should do
- Check your flight number directly on the airline’s website or app, because route-wide announcements may not apply to every service.
- Confirm your departure airport and any change to operating conditions.
- Ask the airline about refunds, rebooking or alternative arrangements.
- Keep your contact details current so you receive alerts.
- Follow official government travel advisories.
With security conditions fluid, schedules can change at short notice. Travellers should rely on flight-specific updates rather than assume an entire route is running normally.
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