On October 12, 2026, major UAE airlines Emirates, Etihad Airways, Air Arabia, and flydubai experienced widespread flight cancellations and delays affecting services from Dubai International, Abu Dhabi International, and Sharjah International airports. Disruptions impacted routes connecting the UAE with Saudi Arabian cities Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, and Abha, as well as other regional and international destinations.
Flight Cancellations on UAE-Saudi Routes
Emirates cancelled multiple Saudi Arabia flights from Dubai on October 12 and 13, including EK815, EK819, and EK817 on Dubai-Riyadh; EK823, EK827, and EK821 on Dubai-Dammam; EK801, EK805, and EK803 on Dubai-Jeddah; and EK809 on October 12 and EK807 on October 13 on Dubai-Medina. Etihad
suspended selected flights between Abu Dhabi and Dammam (EY575, EY576, EY573, EY574), Jeddah (EY601, EY602, EY603, EY604), and Riyadh (EY559, EY560, EY555, EY556) on both days, while also delaying flight EY005 from Abu Dhabi to Washington on October 12.
Flydubai cancelled Dubai-Dammam flights FZ883, FZ869, FZ863, and FZ867 and Dubai-Riyadh flights FZ847, FZ841, and FZ855 on October 12 and 13. Air Arabia cancelled several Sharjah-based services on October 12 and 13, including Sharjah-Abha (G9195), Sharjah-Gassim (G9070), Sharjah-Riyadh (G9151, G9154), Sharjah-Taif (G9187), Sharjah-Yerevan (G9244), Sharjah-Bahrain (G9107), Sharjah-Chattogram (G9341), and Sharjah-Sohag (G9630).
Saudi Arabia Airport Disruptions
Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh airport recorded extreme cancellations, with 353 of
354 scheduled departures (99.72%) cancelled or not flying on October 11, the day before the reported UAE flight disruptions. On October 12, 362 of 1,048 scheduled departures from Saudi Arabia (34.54%) were cancelled. The high cancellation rate followed regional attacks and resulted in the closure of Riyadh airport. Flights by Saudia (SV593, SV563, SV555, SV561, SV553), flynas (XY216, XY206, XY208, XY210), and Riyadh Air (RX244) to Riyadh were among those cancelled by Dubai Airports on October 12.
Other Flight Disruptions at UAE Airports
Additional cancellations and delays were reported at Dubai and Sharjah airports affecting carriers such as SpiceJet and Air India Express. SpiceJet delayed or
cancelled flights SG5023 (Mumbai), SG5153 and SG9153 (Kozhikode), SG5117 (Kochi), and Air India Express IX192 (to Amritsar). Flydubai canceled FZ1149 to Benghazi. Despite cancellations on Dubai-Dammam and Dubai-Riyadh routes, flydubai’s flights to Jeddah, AlUla, and Neom operated as scheduled.
Official Flight Suspensions and Route Changes
The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority suspended all flights operated by Iranian airlines in response to US sanctions affecting Iran’s civilian air fleet, effective until further notice. Flydubai suspended all services to Tel Aviv following a security incident involving flight FZ1073 on September 30. Travelers on routes involving Tel Aviv have been advised to verify flight status before travelling.
Among international
carriers, Lufthansa plans to resume Dubai-Munich flights on October 25 and Dubai-Frankfurt on October 26. SWISS will resume Zurich-Dubai flights on October 27. Eurowings’ Berlin-Dubai flights resume November 1, with Cologne/Bonn-Dubai flights restarting November 3. Austrian Airlines schedules Vienna-Dubai flights to resume December 12. Philippine Airlines resumed Dubai-Manila flights starting October 5. Wizz Air postponed selected Abu Dhabi routes to January 10, with Jordan routes suspended until October 25. Singapore Airlines flights SQ494 and SQ495 remain cancelled until December 1, while British Airways Dubai flights resume November 3, with Abu Dhabi services suspended until winter 2027-28. Air France, Cathay Pacific,
and several European carriers maintain suspensions on specific routes through October and into 2027.
Travel Advisories and Passenger Guidance
Travel advisories caution travelers about ongoing security risks, with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office removing its broad travel ban on the UAE but warning of flight cancellations and airspace disruptions. The US Department of State maintains a Level 3 “Reconsider Travel” advisory, citing terrorism and conflict risks. Australia urges reconsideration of travel to UAE due to unpredictable security and possible airspace closures. Canada advises high caution, and the European Aviation Safety Agency extended its conflict-zone advisory through November 16, 2026, warning carriers to avoid
airspace over the UAE region and neighboring countries.
Passengers departing from UAE airports are instructed to arrive at least three hours before flight time, or four hours on flydubai-operated flights. Online check-in is recommended where available, and passengers should anticipate delays, cancellations, and operational changes. Airlines emphasize checking official digital channels for real-time flight status updates before airport arrival.
Regional security tensions, US sanctions against Iran, and an incident involving flydubai flight FZ1073 are among the causes behind the operational disruptions. Airlines cite operational reasons for specific cancellations, while Saudi airport closures followed further attacks in the region.
Passengers booked
on Emirates, Etihad, Air Arabia, flydubai, and other affected airlines are advised to confirm their latest flight status with their carrier before traveling to the airport due to the dynamic nature of the situation.
