Dubai: Indian airlines have extended flight cancellations to Saudi Arabia as the security situation continues to disrupt air travel, with Air India, IndiGo, Air India Express and Akasa Air announcing longer suspensions covering Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.
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Air India has cancelled all flights to and from Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah until October 20, while IndiGo has extended cancellations covering Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah until October 24.
Air India Express has also extended its suspension of flights to and from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam until October 20.
Akasa Air has suspended flights to and from Riyadh until October 24 and Jeddah until October 21.
The airlines said they were monitoring the situation and prioritising passenger and crew safety.
Air India
Air India said all flights to and from Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah would remain cancelled until October 20 “in view of the evolving situation in Saudi Arabia”. The airline said it was continuously assessing developments to determine when operations could safely resume.
Passengers affected by the cancellations are being offered a full refund.
“At Air India, the safety and security of our passengers and crew remain the highest priority,” the airline said.
IndiGo
IndiGo has extended its cancellations for a wider group of Saudi destinations.
Flights to and from Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah will remain cancelled until October 24, inclusive, the airline said.
Affected customers are being notified using the contact details provided when they booked.
Passengers who made bookings through travel partners have been asked to contact those partners directly for assistance.
Air India Express
Air India Express has extended the suspension of flights to and from Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh until October 20.
The airline said it would continue to monitor developments and “proactively review and adjust” its operations as necessary.
Affected passengers are being offered complimentary rescheduling or a full refund if they cancel.
The airline has also advised passengers to check their flight status on its website and ensure their contact details are up to date.
Akasa flights
Akasa Air has extended the suspension of flights to and from Riyadh until October 24 and Jeddah until October 21.
The airline said the decision followed an assessment of the prevailing security situation in the Middle East.
Affected passengers can choose a full refund, which Akasa said would be credited to the original payment source within seven days, or reschedule without an additional charge.
Passengers who booked through travel partners have been asked to contact them directly.
Saudi disruption
The latest extensions come after a significant level of disruption to scheduled flights in Saudi Arabia.
According to Cirium data covering October 8 to 13, Saudi Arabia had 6,608 scheduled departures, of which 2,018 did not operate — equivalent to about 30.5 per cent of scheduled departures.
The disruption varied sharply by day. On October 11, 623 of 1,096 scheduled departures did not operate, representing about 56.8 per cent. On October 10, 442 of 1,186 scheduled departures were affected.
The data also showed substantial disruption among Saudi carriers during the period, with Saudia recording 646 cancellations or no-fly departures out of 1,546 scheduled flights, while flynas recorded 327 out of 817.