Dubai: Flight operations between the UAE and Saudi Arabia remain heavily disrupted, with Emirates, Etihad Airways and flydubai cancelling multiple services to Riyadh, Dammam and other Saudi destinations as attacks continue to affect the Kingdom’s airports.
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The disruption was particularly severe on Sunday, when 56.84 per cent of all scheduled departures from Saudi Arabian airports were cancelled or did not fly, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company, data.
Of 1,096 flights scheduled to depart Saudi airports on October 11, 623 were cancelled or did not fly.
Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport accounted for almost all of the disruption, with 353 of 354 scheduled departures — 99.72 per cent — cancelled or not operated.
The wider Saudi network has also been affected, with 2,018 of 6,608 scheduled departures between October 8 and October 13 listed as cancelled or no-fly — 30.54 per cent overall, according to the Cirium data.
UAE airlines
Emirates
Emirates has cancelled all three of its Dubai-Riyadh services listed for October 12 and 13.
The cancellations are:
EK815
EK819
EK817
Emirates has also cancelled three Dubai-Dammam services on each day — EK823, EK827 and EK821. Its Dubai-Jeddah services EK801, EK805 and EK803 have also been cancelled on October 12 and 13.
For Medina, Emirates lists EK809 as cancelled on October 12 and EK807 on October 13.
The airline told customers that the cancellations were due to “operational reasons” and advised them to check their updated itineraries through its website.
Etihad
Etihad Airways has cancelled multiple flights linking Abu Dhabi with Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh on October 12 and 13 because of the regional disruption.
On October 12, the cancelled Dammam services are EY575, EY576, EY573 and EY574.
The airline has also cancelled four Abu Dhabi-Jeddah flights — EY601, EY602, EY603 and EY604 — and four Riyadh services — EY559, EY560, EY555 and EY556.
On October 13, Etihad lists cancellations including EY575 and EY576 on the Dammam route, EY602, EY603 and EY604 on the Jeddah route, and EY551 and EY552 between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.
“The situation remains dynamic and further changes are possible,” Etihad said. “Guests are encouraged to check the latest status of their flight at etihad.com.”
The airline apologised for the disruption and said the safety and comfort of passengers and crew remained its “number one priority”.
flydubai
flydubai has also cancelled its Dubai-Dammam and Dubai-Riyadh services for October 12 and 13.
The affected Dammam flights are FZ883, FZ869, FZ863 and FZ867 on both days. For Riyadh, FZ847, FZ841 and FZ855 are listed as cancelled on October 12 and 13.
However, flydubai said its flights from Dubai to Jeddah, AlUla and Neom are operating as usual. Passengers have been advised to reconfirm their flight status before travelling to the airport.
Air Arabia
Air Arabia has also listed affected services from Sharjah to several Saudi destinations.
These include:
Sharjah-Abha: G9195 on October 12 and 13
Sharjah-Gassim: G9070 on October 12
Sharjah-Riyadh: G9151 and G9154 on October 12 and 13
Sharjah-Taif: G9187 on October 12
Travellers should check directly with their airline before setting out for the airport, particularly as flight schedules remain subject to change.
Riyadh impact
Riyadh has been the epicentre of the disruption.
Cirium data for Sunday, October 11 shows 353 of 354 scheduled departures from King Khalid International Airport were cancelled or did not fly. The impact extended beyond the capital.
At Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport, 56 of 123 scheduled departures, or 45.53 per cent, were cancelled or did not fly.
At Abha, 22 of 43 scheduled departures were affected, while Tabuk recorded 12 cancellations or no-fly operations from 23 scheduled departures. Taif saw nine of 12 scheduled departures cancelled or not flown. Jeddah was less severely affected but still recorded 98 cancellations or no-fly operations from 370 scheduled departures, equivalent to 26.49 per cent.
Saudi airlines hit
The disruption has also affected Saudi Arabia’s major airlines. Between October 8 and 11, Cirium recorded 646 cancellations or no-fly operations among 1,546 scheduled Saudia departures, representing 41.79 per cent.
Flynas recorded 327 affected departures from 817 scheduled flights, or 40.02 per cent.
Flyadeal recorded 311 cancellations or no-fly operations from 679 scheduled departures, equivalent to 45.80 per cent.
Riyadh Air recorded the highest proportion among the major Saudi carriers, with 43 of 73 scheduled departures affected, or 58.90 per cent.
On Sunday alone, Riyadh Air recorded 17 cancellations or no-fly operations from 17 scheduled departures.
The figures underline the extent to which the disruption has spread beyond individual international carriers to Saudi Arabia’s domestic aviation network.
IATA warning
The International Air Transport Association condemned the attacks on King Khalid International Airport and stressed that civilian aviation must not be targeted.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and to all those affected by the tragic attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday October 10th,” said Kamil Alawadhi, IATA’s Regional Vice-President for Africa and Middle East.
“IATA strongly condemns these continuing attacks.”
Alawadhi added that civil aviation, including passengers, airports, aircraft and aviation personnel, “must never be a target”.
“The protection of civil aviation is enshrined in international law and is a fundamental obligation of all parties,” he said.
What UAE travellers should do
Travellers flying from the UAE to Saudi Arabia should check their flight status directly with their airline before leaving for the airport.
Passengers whose flights have been cancelled should follow the airline's instructions on rebooking or itinerary changes.
With the situation changing rapidly, passengers should not rely on an earlier flight schedule or assume that a service will operate simply because the route normally runs daily.
For Emirates passengers, the airline said updated itineraries can be viewed through its website. Etihad has similarly urged passengers to check the latest flight status before travelling.