About 60 per cent of scheduled flights at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport are expected to be cancelled on Monday, aviation analytics firm Cirium has said, as disruption continues following the deadly attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels at the weekend.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said on Monday that the suspension of operations at the airport had been extended while checks on the safety and operational readiness of its facilities were completed.
The estimate follows the cancellation of 99.7 per cent of scheduled flights on Sunday, Cirium said.
UAE airlines have continued to cancel services to and from Riyadh, with disruption extending into Tuesday. Etihad Airways has announced cancellations for Monday and Tuesday, with services to Dammam and Jeddah also affected. Emirates, flydubai and Air Arabia have cancelled flights connecting Dubai and Sharjah with the Saudi capital.
Etihad Airways
Etihad has cancelled several flights between Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia on Monday and Tuesday, affecting services to Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah.
According to the airline's latest travel advisory, Monday's cancellations include flights EY559 and EY560 between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh. But Etihad's flight listings also show outbound Riyadh services EY551 and EY555 as being cancelled.
Four flights between Abu Dhabi and Dammam – EY573, EY574, EY575 and EY576 – have also been cancelled on Monday, along with Jeddah services EY601, EY602, EY603 and EY604.
Further cancellations are scheduled for Tuesday, including Dammam services EY575 and EY576, Jeddah flights EY602, EY603 and EY604, and Riyadh services EY551 and EY552.
Passengers are advised to check their flight status directly with Etihad before travelling, as further changes are possible.
Emirates
Emirates' flight status website shows all six services between Dubai and Riyadh have been cancelled on Monday. These include outbound flights EK815, EK817 and EK819, along with returning services EK816, EK818 and EK820.
Four flights remain cancelled on Tuesday, including EK815, EK817 and EK819 from Dubai to Riyadh and the return service EK816. Flights EK818 and EK820 from Riyadh to Dubai have not yet been cancelled, but are subject to further changes.
Flydubai
Flydubai has cancelled flights to Abha, Dammam and Riyadh up to and including Wednesday, amid the disruption to services to Saudi Arabia.
“Flights to Abha, Dammam and Riyadh have been cancelled up to and including October 14,” a flydubai representative told The National. “We continue to monitor the situation closely and we will update our customers through our official channels regarding any amendments to our flight schedules.”
The latest cancellations extend the airline's earlier advisory, which covered flights to Riyadh and Yanbu through October 10, and Abha through October 11.
Air Arabia
According to Air Arabia's official flight status website, flights G9151 and G9154 from Sharjah to Riyadh have been cancelled on Monday and Tuesday. Flight G9195 from Sharjah to Abha is also listed as cancelled on both days.
What should passengers do?
Those with plans to travel should confirm their flight status directly with their airline before leaving for the airport and check notifications about changes to their booking.
Passengers whose flights have been cancelled should contact their airline or travel agent about rebooking and refund options. Travellers with onward connections should also confirm whether changes are needed to the rest of their journey.
Several services between the UAE and Riyadh remain as scheduled for Monday, although those operations depend on conditions at the airport. Passengers should confirm the status of their flight directly with their airline before travelling.