UAE travellers faced flight cancellations and delays on Monday, October 19, as regional security concerns continued to affect air travel. Several services between the UAE and Saudi Arabia were disrupted, while cancellations were also reported on routes from Abu Dhabi and Sharjah to destinations across Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Dubai International Airport’s arrivals page listed cancellations affecting flights from India and Saudi Arabia. At Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, several arrivals were delayed, while Etihad Airways cancelled services between Abu Dhabi and Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah through October 24.
Passengers travelling through Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah should check their flight status directly with their airline before leaving for the airport. Schedules can change at short notice.
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Saudi Arabia flight disruptions
Saudi Arabia continues to face aviation disruption amid reported security threats. Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport remains closed to flight operations, according to the Indian Embassy’s advisory supplied for this update. Dammam, Jeddah and Medina airports remain operational, although some services continue to face disruption.
Iran flights: UAE restrictions remain in place
The UAE’s suspension of flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the country remains in effect until further notice, according to the information supplied. Iran Airtour cannot operate flights to or from Dubai under the restriction.
Passengers affected by the suspension should contact their airline or travel agent for information about refunds, rebooking and alternative travel arrangements.
Dubai–Tel Aviv services remain affected
Flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv remain affected following the security incident involving flydubai flight FZ1073 on September 30.
Emirates has suspended its codeshare operations with flydubai to and from Tel Aviv until further notice. Passengers should check directly with flydubai or Emirates for the latest updates before travelling.
Abu Dhabi airport flight status
Zayed International Airport reported delays affecting four arrivals on Monday, October 19.
Reported arrival delays
Kathmandu: Air Arabia Abu Dhabi flights 3L044 and EY1385 were scheduled to arrive at 1.05pm but were delayed until 2pm.
Kathmandu: Air Arabia Abu Dhabi flight 3L1611 was scheduled to arrive at 5.10pm but was delayed until 5.40pm.
Manchester: Etihad Airways flight EY078, with codeshares NZ4286 and GA9051, was scheduled to arrive at 6.50pm but was delayed until 7.55pm.
Malaga: Etihad Airways flight EY108 was scheduled to arrive at 7.25pm but was delayed until 9.10pm.
Times are UAE local time. Passengers should check for further changes before departure.
Important: This update includes flight cancellations, delays and schedule changes reported by airlines and airports. Not all of these disruptions are related to the conflict or regional security situation; some may be due to operational, technical or other reasons.
Etihad Airways cancels Saudi Arabia flights
Etihad Airways has cancelled flights between Abu Dhabi and Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah through Saturday, October 24, because of regional disruption.
Dammam
All Etihad flights between Abu Dhabi and Dammam are cancelled through October 24.
Riyadh
All Etihad flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh are cancelled through October 24.
Jeddah
EY601: Abu Dhabi to Jeddah — cancelled through October 24.
EY602: Jeddah to Abu Dhabi — cancelled through October 24.
EY603: Abu Dhabi to Jeddah — cancelled through October 24.
EY604: Jeddah to Abu Dhabi — cancelled through October 24.
Etihad advises passengers to check their flight status on its official website and contact the airline for assistance with travel arrangements.
Dubai airport flight status
Dubai International Airport’s arrivals page listed cancellations affecting services from India and Saudi Arabia on October 19.
Reported arrival cancellations
Mumbai: SpiceJet flight SG 5060 — cancelled.
Gassim: flyadeal flight F3 1505 — cancelled.
Riyadh: flynas flight XY 205 — cancelled.
Riyadh: flynas flight XY 207 — cancelled.
Riyadh: flynas flight XY 217 — cancelled.
These are cancellations listed on the arrivals page supplied for this update. Passengers should verify the status of their individual bookings with the airline.
Emirates: Saudi Arabia routes
The following Emirates services between Dubai and Saudi Arabia were included in the flight information supplied for this update. Passengers should confirm the status of each flight, as not every listed service was explicitly marked as cancelled.
Dubai–Dammam
EK823
EK827
EK821
Dammam–Dubai
EK824
EK828
EK822
Dubai–Jeddah
EK801
EK805
EK803
Jeddah–Dubai
EK802
EK806
EK804
Dubai–Medina
EK807 — in flight.
EK809 — scheduled.
Medina–Dubai
EK808 — scheduled.
EK810 — scheduled.
Dubai–Riyadh
EK815
EK819
EK817
Riyadh–Dubai
EK816
EK820
EK818
Emirates has also suspended codeshare operations with flydubai to and from Tel Aviv until further notice. Customers are advised to check the latest updates through Emirates and ensure their contact details are correct in their bookings.
flydubai: Saudi Arabia flight status
flydubai's flight-status information supplied for October 19 showed several services to Saudi Arabia as scheduled, arrived, in flight or estimated. No flight-status information was available for a number of other routes.
Dubai–Medina
FZ897 — scheduled.
FZ8387 — scheduled.
FZ827 — scheduled.
Medina–Dubai
FZ828 — arrived.
FZ898 — scheduled.
FZ8388 — scheduled.
Dubai–Jeddah
FZ919 — arrived.
FZ831 — arrived.
FZ909 — in flight.
FZ829 — scheduled.
FZ807 — scheduled.
Jeddah–Dubai
FZ920 — arrived.
FZ832 — in flight.
FZ910 — estimated.
FZ830 — scheduled.
FZ808 — scheduled.
Dubai–Gassim
FZ875 — scheduled.
FZ871 — scheduled.
Gassim–Dubai
FZ876 — scheduled.
Dubai–Tabuk
FZ881 — scheduled.
Tabuk–Dubai
FZ882 — scheduled.
No flight-status information was found for the following Dubai departures on October 19:
Abha (AHB)
AlUla (ULH)
Dammam (DMM)
Gizan (GIZ)
Ha'il (HAS)
Hofuf (HOF)
Jouf (AJF)
Nejran (EAM)
Neom (NUM)
Qaisumah (AQI)
Riyadh (RUH)
The Red Sea (RSI)
Yanbu (YNB)
This does not necessarily mean these flights were cancelled. Passengers should check the latest information with flydubai.
The airline advises passengers that check-in counters normally close 60 minutes before scheduled departure unless they receive an SMS or email stating otherwise.
Air Arabia: Cancellations from Abu Dhabi and Sharjah
Air Arabia reported cancellations affecting flights from Abu Dhabi and Sharjah to destinations across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe.
Abu Dhabi flights
Yerevan
3L441: Abu Dhabi to Yerevan — cancelled.
3L442: Yerevan to Abu Dhabi — cancelled.
Dhaka
3L063: Abu Dhabi to Dhaka — cancelled.
3L064: Dhaka to Abu Dhabi — cancelled.
Kuwait
3L020: Abu Dhabi to Kuwait — cancelled.
3L021: Kuwait to Abu Dhabi — cancelled.
Faisalabad
3L315: Abu Dhabi to Faisalabad — cancelled.
3L316: Faisalabad to Abu Dhabi — cancelled.
Multan
3L335: Abu Dhabi to Multan — cancelled.
3L336: Multan to Abu Dhabi — cancelled.
Sialkot
3L311: Abu Dhabi to Sialkot — cancelled.
3L312: Sialkot to Abu Dhabi — cancelled.
Sharjah flights
Yerevan
G9244: Sharjah to Yerevan — cancelled.
G9245: Yerevan to Sharjah — cancelled.
Bahrain and Chattogram
G9107: Sharjah to Bahrain — cancelled.
G9341: Bahrain to Sharjah — cancelled.
G9520: Bahrain to Sharjah — cancelled.
G9342: Chattogram to Sharjah — cancelled.
G9521: Chattogram to Sharjah — cancelled.
Dhaka
G9514: Sharjah to Dhaka — cancelled.
G9571: Sharjah to Dhaka — cancelled.
G9515: Dhaka to Sharjah — cancelled.
G9572: Dhaka to Sharjah — cancelled.
Sohag
G9630: Sharjah to Sohag — cancelled.
G9631: Sohag to Sharjah — cancelled.
Kuwait
G9068: Sharjah to Kuwait — cancelled.
G9124: Sharjah to Kuwait — cancelled.
G9069: Kuwait to Sharjah — cancelled.
Bishkek
G9332: Sharjah to Bishkek — cancelled.
G9333: Bishkek to Sharjah — cancelled.
Malé
G9093: Sharjah to Malé — cancelled.
G9094: Malé to Sharjah — cancelled.
Islamabad
9P743: Sharjah to Islamabad — cancelled.
9P744: Islamabad to Sharjah — cancelled.
9P742: Islamabad to Sharjah — cancelled.
Karachi
G9542: Sharjah to Karachi — cancelled.
G9543: Karachi to Sharjah — cancelled.
Entebbe
G9691: Sharjah to Entebbe — cancelled.
G9692: Entebbe to Sharjah — cancelled.
London Gatwick
G9265D: Sharjah to London Gatwick — cancelled.
Passengers should confirm their flight status with Air Arabia before heading to the airport and contact the airline for rebooking options.
Saudi Arabia travel warnings: What passengers should know
The United States, United Kingdom and Australia have issued travel warnings amid reported threats to Saudi airports and continuing aviation disruption.
Riyadh: King Khalid International Airport remains suspended, according to the advisories supplied for this update.
Jeddah and Dammam: Airports remain operational, but delays and cancellations are possible.
United Kingdom: Advises against all travel within 10km of the Yemen border and all but essential travel elsewhere in Saudi Arabia.
United States: Warns of potential attacks on airports and airspace closures and urges travellers to follow official security alerts.
Australia: Advises travellers to avoid Riyadh airport and consider alternatives.
Indian airlines: Air India, Air India Express and IndiGo have suspended Saudi Arabia flights until October 24; Akasa Air’s suspension runs until October 27.
Some flights continue: Saudia and flynas services from Dammam to India are listed as scheduled, but passengers should confirm their bookings.
Travellers should consult the latest official government advisories before changing plans. Alternative routes should be checked for availability, transit visa requirements and entry rules.
International airline updates affecting UAE travellers: Key highlights
Lufthansa Group: Dubai–Munich flights resume October 25, Dubai–Frankfurt on October 26, with services gradually increasing.
SWISS: Zurich–Dubai flights due to resume October 27.
Eurowings: Dubai services from Berlin and Stuttgart begin November 1; Cologne/Bonn flights resume November 3.
Austrian Airlines: Vienna–Dubai flights scheduled to resume December 12.
Abu Dhabi: Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian and Edelweiss services remain suspended through October 24; Eurowings services are also suspended until then.
Philippine Airlines: Dubai–Manila services have resumed.
Wizz Air: Selected Abu Dhabi routes postponed until January 10, 2027; Jordan flights suspended through October 25.
Singapore Airlines: Dubai flights SQ494 and SQ495 cancelled through December 1.
British Airways: Dubai services scheduled to resume November 3; Abu Dhabi services suspended until winter 2027–28.
Air France: Dubai and Riyadh services suspended through October 24.
Cathay Pacific: Dubai and Riyadh passenger flights cancelled through January 31, 2027; rebooking, rerouting and refunds are available.
Travel advisories
UK: Removed its broader warning against all but essential travel to the UAE but continues to flag possible flight and airspace disruption.
US: UAE remains at Level 3 — Reconsider Travel.
Australia: Advises reconsidering the need to travel to the UAE.
Canada: Advises a high degree of caution in the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.
EASA: Conflict-zone bulletin extended through November 16, 2026, covering the UAE and several other Gulf countries.
What UAE travellers should do before flying
With regional disruption continuing, passengers should take the following precautions:
Check directly with the airline: Confirm the status of both departure and return flights before leaving for the airport.
Allow extra time: Follow the airline's instructions on check-in deadlines and airport arrival times.
Review contact details: Ensure the airline has the correct phone number and email address to receive updates.
Confirm alternative arrangements: Contact the airline or travel agent about rebooking, refunds and alternative routes if a flight is cancelled.
Check transit requirements: Passengers considering alternative routes through other countries should verify visa and entry requirements before booking.
The regional situation remains fluid, and airlines may revise schedules at short notice. UAE travellers should rely on the latest airline notifications and airport information rather than assuming that a previously scheduled flight will operate as planned.