UAE flight cancellations continue as airlines suspend Saudi routes until November 19

Flight disruptions continued across the United Arab Emirates on Monday, November 9, as airlines cancelled services to several destinations in Saudi Arabia amid ongoing security concerns in the kingdom.

Etihad Airways and flydubai have announced route suspensions affecting passengers travelling between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, while other carriers have also reported cancellations and delays at major UAE airports.

Also read: Saudi airline flyadeal launches direct flights between Jeddah and Lucknow

Etihad has resumed its daily flight services to and from Jeddah from November 6. However, its flights to Riyadh and Dammam remain cancelled until November 19, according to the airline's latest schedule.

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Flydubai has also cancelled several services to Dammam until November 10, while flights to Abha and Riyadh have been suspended until November 17, according to its flight booking information.

The disruptions come amid continuing Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia. The group has reportedly targeted airport infrastructure and, more recently, a building linked to Saudi oil company Aramco in Riyadh.

Flights cancelled on November 9

Several flights operated by Saudi carriers and other international airlines were affected on Monday.

Flynas cancelled flights XY 201, XY 209, XY 215 and XY 216 from Riyadh, along with XY 210 to Riyadh. Its services XY 205 and XY 206 to and from Gassim were also cancelled.

Riyadh Air cancelled flights RX 241 and RX 243 departing from Riyadh.

Also read: Saudi Arabia's flyadeal launches non-stop flights from Mumbai to Riyadh, expands India operations

Other affected international services included Cebu Pacific flight 5J 019 to Manila and Kenya Airways flights KQ 310 and KQ 311 to and from Nairobi.

Delays at UAE airports

Passengers also faced delays at Dubai International Airport, with several Emirates services arriving behind schedule. These included flights from Copenhagen, Brisbane, Johannesburg, Dallas, Beirut and Los Angeles, with delays ranging from 25 to 59 minutes.

Flydubai services from Samara, Yekaterinburg and Gassim were also delayed. Its flight from Saint Petersburg was delayed by two hours and seven minutes, while a service from Minsk was delayed by three hours and five minutes.

At Abu Dhabi airport, Etihad flights EY 610 and EY 596 from Tel Aviv were delayed by 40 and 35 minutes, respectively.

Air Arabia services arriving from Kochi, Calicut, Thiruvananthapuram and Chennai also experienced delays of between 35 and 50 minutes.

At Sharjah airport, Air Arabia flights from Peshawar, Thiruvananthapuram and Colombo were delayed by up to one hour and 10 minutes.

Indian passengers travelling from the UAE should check their flight status directly with airlines before leaving for the airport, particularly those booked on services to Saudi Arabia or connecting through Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.