India’s largest carrier IndiGo has once again pushed back the date for resuming service to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In a travel advisory posted on X at 08:28 UTC on 23 October, the airline said all flights to and from Riyadh are cancelled until 31 October, while services to Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah remain suspended through 27 October. The decision follows drone-and-missile attacks that have repeatedly targeted Saudi airports this month, including a deadly strike on Dammam’s King Fahd International on 21 October. The rolling extensions are testing the contingency plans of Indian corporates with project staff and technicians shuttling between India and Saudi Arabia’s energy sites. Mobility managers now face having to reroute travellers through Dubai, Doha or Muscat—destinations where seat availability is tightening as multiple airlines, including Lufthansa and Air France, have pulled Riyadh until mid-November. IndiGo says affected passengers will be contacted directly, but has not published a uniform refund or rebooking policy beyond directing agency-ticketed clients to their issuing agents. By contrast, Air India and Air India Express—which paused their own Saudi operations earlier—are offering one free date change or rerouting via other Gulf gateways for tickets issued on or before 15 October. Corporate travel buyers should note that risk-rating agencies have raised Saudi Arabia’s civil-aviation threat level to ‘Moderate–High’ and recommend avoiding same-day connections through Riyadh. Insurance providers are already treating the capital as a named high-risk location, meaning travellers must obtain prior approval for coverage. Practically, passengers stranded in Saudi Arabia should: 1) monitor flight status on the airline’s app before departing for the airport, 2) keep contact information on the PNR current to receive automated updates, and 3) consider alternate routings via Jeddah (still operating limited flights), Bahrain or Dubai where ground transport links to Saudi cities exist. Companies with assignees in the Kingdom should update emergency-response plans and verify that mobile roaming works on Saudi networks in case of airport disruptions.
Source: AeroCorner
