Missile strikes on Saudi airports push Gulf carriers into open-ended cuts

Saudi Arabia's airport network has absorbed at least six missile strikes since early October, killing 19 people and injuring more than 300, and the fallout has pushed Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways and more than a dozen other carriers into rolling cancellations across the Gulf. Riyadh's airport was hit four times, with the death toll there reaching 17. On Wednesday, 21 October, a strike on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam killed two people and injured eight; the following day the Kingdom intercepted a fresh barrage of ballistic missiles launched by Yemen's Houthi forces.

US embassies across the region have issued security alerts urging Americans to "be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions" and to "exercise heightened vigilance due to the complex security environment". The UK Foreign Office now advises against all but essential travel to Saudi Arabia, and against all travel within 10km of the Yemeni border. London has also announced that RAF Typhoon fighter jets will fly defensive missions over Saudi cities and critical infrastructure.

What does this change for Gulf networks?

The damage is uneven. Emirates is flying to 140 destinations in 72 countries — 98% of its pre-war network — with more than 1,300 weekly departures, roughly 93% of previous capacity. But it continues to cancel individual services to Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam at short notice, and now lets all ticketed passengers change travel dates unlimited times, free of charge. It has added conflict-inclusive travel insurance for international passengers, covering airline-managed hotel stays, a free 30-day trip extension and disruption support.

Qatar Airways operates to more than 160 destinations, 85% of its pre-war network, with daily Dubai service intact. It has cancelled Riyadh and Dammam flights through 24 October and cut Jeddah from seven daily rotations to four, warning schedules remain subject to change.

Etihad has cancelled all Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam flights through 5 November. It flies to more than 90 destinations and will add more "as conditions permit". Tickets issued on or after 6 March for travel through 31 March 2027 permit one free change; arriving international passengers receive up to 15 days of complimentary medical insurance.

Flydubai, operating a reduced schedule, has cancelled Abha, Dammam and Riyadh services through 24 October and suspended Tel Aviv entirely after a terror attempt on its Tel Aviv route on 30 September. Longer flight durations and transit times in Dubai are expected as services reroute around restricted airspace.

The international retreat

European and Asian carriers have pulled back further, and often for longer:

• British Airways resumes Dubai on 3 November, Tel Aviv daily from 25 October, Riyadh daily from 3 November, Amman four-times-weekly from 4 November; Doha is down to one daily flight since 1 September. Abu Dhabi will not return until winter 2027-28, Bahrain not until end-March 2027, and London-Jeddah is being dropped permanently.
• Cathay Pacific has cancelled Dubai and Riyadh through 31 January 2027. "We are monitoring the situation closely and will remain agile in our response. The safety of our customers and people guides every decision we make," the airline said.
• Air Canada has extended its Dubai and Tel Aviv suspensions to end-March 2027. Virgin Atlantic has ended its London-Dubai service for the foreseeable future, saying on 8 March that "the recent escalation in the Middle East has brought forward the end of our operation for this season".
• Delta Air Lines has postponed its planned Atlanta-Riyadh launch, originally set for 23 October, to March 2027.
• Lufthansa has suspended Riyadh until 18 November and Dammam until 30 November, and will restart Munich-Dubai on 25 October and Frankfurt-Dubai on 26 October. KLM has cancelled Dubai through 7 November and Riyadh and Dammam through 31 October.
• Singapore Airlines has extended its Dubai suspension to 1 December; its subsidiary Scoot has cut Jeddah to 2 December. Wizz Air has suspended Dubai and Abu Dhabi from mainland Europe to March 2027.

Gulf Air is at 75% of pre-war capacity across more than 50 destinations with all Saudi flights suspended. Air Arabia has dropped Riyadh, Abha, Dammam and Taif without a resumption date. Air India and IndiGo have cancelled Saudi services through 24 October; Philippine Airlines has cut Manila-Riyadh until 29 November; Pakistan International Airlines suspended Riyadh on 9 October with no restart date. Turkish Airlines has restored four daily Dubai-Istanbul flights and raised Abu Dhabi from four to seven weekly.

Airspace and sanctions

The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority has announced full resumption of air traffic after "a comprehensive evaluation of operational and security conditions", with continuous real-time monitoring. Qatar, Iraq, Israel and Kuwait have reopened, though Kuwait has seen intermittent closures from missile activity. Iran has partially reopened, permitting transit on eastern routes. Saudi airspace remains technically open despite Houthi strikes.

US sanctions on Iran's civilian air fleet prompted the UAE regulator to suspend all Iranian airline flights indefinitely, including Iran Air's Tehran-UAE routes. EASA's conflict-zone advisories — covering Saudi Arabia's entire Jeddah Flight Information Region, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman — run until 16 November unless reviewed earlier, and bind both EU carriers and third-country operators authorised by EASA. Rerouting around these zones is adding flight time to surviving services, with low-cost operators making technical fuel stops in southern Europe.

With US-Iran convergence still elusive and President Trump denying negotiation talks while promising an outcome "fairly soon", airlines and passengers should expect schedule volatility — and short-notice cancellations — well beyond the 16 November advisory horizon.