UAE airlines cancel Riyadh and Dammam flights through 14 October after Riyadh airport attack

Major UAE carriers have suspended numerous services to Saudi Arabia this week following Saturday night’s missile-and-drone strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. On Sunday, flydubai confirmed that all flights between Dubai International (DXB) and Riyadh will remain cancelled until at least 14 October, while several rotations to Dammam have also been pulled. Etihad Airways has grounded selected Abu Dhabi–Riyadh services through 13 October and is monitoring its Jeddah and Dammam schedules day-by-day. Emirates has removed at least nine Riyadh and six Dammam sectors from its 11-12 October timetables. The cancellations come in the wake of a lethal strike on Riyadh airport that killed 12 people and injured more than 300, including several Umrah pilgrims. Saudi authorities temporarily suspended operations to allow damage assessment, triggering an immediate knock-on effect across Gulf airspace. UAE airlines reacted first by cancelling night-stop aircraft and then widened the suspension as NOTAMs indicated ongoing risk. For business travellers and mobility managers, the disruption extends beyond Saudi routes. Gulf News’ live flight board shows secondary delays on services to India, Central Asia and Europe as aircraft and crews are re-positioned. Multinational firms with personnel shuttling between UAE hubs and Riyadh’s financial district report project-timeline slippage, while HR teams scramble to re-book staff via Bahrain or Kuwait. Travel-risk consultants warn that further ad-hoc cancellations are likely until clear intelligence emerges on whether the Houthis, ISIS offshoots or another actor was responsible. Companies have been advised to activate their travel-disruption clauses, budget for same-day PCR tests if forced onto surface routes, and remind staff to keep at least six months’ passport validity to navigate land-border alternatives via Al Ghuwaifat or Al Batha. Practical tips for affected passengers include: 1) use airlines’ self-service portals to push eligible itineraries into “open ticket” status before calling agents; 2) check whether company insurance covers hotel nights in Dubai or Abu Dhabi caused by force-majeure cancellations; and 3) monitor Saudia’s and Saudi GACA’s English Twitter feeds for reopening windows, which may be announced with less than four hours’ notice. In the medium term, analysts expect the episode to accelerate Etihad and Emirates contingency planning for a permanent Riyadh base and to revive discussions on a joint Gulf crisis-response protocol that would allow rapid re-routing over Iraqi airspace. Until then, UAE business travellers to Saudi Arabia face at least four more days of uncertainty.