Anyone flying between the UAE and Saudi Arabia this week should confirm their booking before heading to the airport. Airlines continue to cancel or reschedule services to several Saudi cities, and some carriers have lengthened their suspensions.

According to Gulf News, Emirates, Etihad Airways, flydubai and Air Arabia are running across much of their networks, but routes to Riyadh, Dammam and Abha remain subject to cancellations and changes. Flights to Jeddah, Madinah and other Saudi destinations have partly resumed, though individual services are still being affected.

Etihad extends its cancellations

Etihad has pushed back the restart of its Saudi services. All passenger and cargo flights between Abu Dhabi and both Riyadh and Dammam are now cancelled through Thursday, 19 November. On the Jeddah route, four services (EY601 to EY604) were due to resume from 6 November, and other Abu Dhabi to Jeddah flights are scheduled to operate. The airline has cautioned that the situation is changing and further adjustments are possible.

flydubai and Air Arabia

flydubai has suspended Riyadh and Abha flights through 16 November, with services due to return from 17 November. Dammam flights are scheduled to restart on 10 November, although several individual flights, including FZ883, FZ869, FZ863 and FZ867, were still listed as cancelled in available flight-status data. Flights to Jeddah, Madinah, Tabuk and Taif were shown as operating.

Air Arabia has cancelled selected Sharjah services to Abha, Riyadh and Jizan, while flights to Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah and several other Saudi cities were listed as operating. For Emirates, Gulf News relayed cancellations on the Dubai to Dammam and Dubai to Riyadh routes, but noted that those listings were for 9 November and should not be treated as confirmation of what will operate on 10 November.

Why flights are being affected

The disruption is tied to the security situation in the region. On Tuesday the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted a ballistic missile and a cruise missile launched by Houthi forces towards Riyadh, along with a drone over the Eastern Province. Schools in Riyadh have moved to online classes as a precaution. European aviation regulators have kept their conflict-zone information bulletins on Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the wider Persian Gulf in place until 16 November.

Other routes and international carriers

The picture varies by airline. Gulf News lists several foreign carriers with suspensions to Saudi Arabia: Air India and Air India Express to Riyadh and Dammam until 14 November, Air France to Riyadh until 14 November, Lufthansa to Riyadh until 18 November and to Dammam until 30 November, and KLM to Riyadh and Dammam until 27 November. Cathay Pacific has halted Riyadh flights until 31 January 2027.

Flights between the UAE and Iran are suspended. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority has stopped flights by Iranian carriers to and from the country until further notice. Dubai to Tel Aviv services by Emirates and flydubai remain suspended, while Etihad continues to operate Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv flights.

Some airlines are coming back to Dubai

There is better news for the winter season. British Airways resumed daily Heathrow to Dubai flights on 3 November. Lufthansa, SWISS and Eurowings plan to restart Dubai services on 25 November, and Austrian Airlines is due to return on 12 December. Gulf News says Dubai could see up to 36 additional weekly flights from European destinations as services come back between late October and December.

Not every carrier is returning yet. Singapore Airlines has suspended two Dubai flights until 28 February 2027, Air Canada until the end of March 2027, KLM until 27 March 2027 and Cathay Pacific until 31 January 2027. Finnair has called off Dubai flights for the whole 2026/27 winter season, and Virgin Atlantic has no return planned before 2027.

Travel advisories

Several governments continue to urge caution. The US State Department maintains a Level 3 advisory for the UAE, telling travellers to reconsider travel. The UK Foreign Office says the regional security situation is unpredictable and that British nationals should be ready for flight cancellations and airspace closures. Canada and Australia have issued similar warnings.

What passengers should do

Gulf News offers practical advice that applies well beyond this week:

Check your specific flight with the airline before leaving home, because services on the same route can have different statuses.

Arrive at least three hours before departure, or four hours for flydubai, unless the airline advises otherwise.

Check in online and save your boarding pass where possible.

Keep your mobile number and email up to date in your booking to receive alerts.

If connecting through Dubai or Abu Dhabi, confirm that onward flights are operating.

Keep passports and visas ready in case you need to rebook.

Passengers whose flights are cancelled can generally seek rebooking or refunds under the airline's policy, so it is worth contacting your carrier directly rather than going to the airport.