UAE business travellers woke on Friday (13 November 2026) to another day of uncertainty at the country’s airports. A new security flare-up along Saudi Arabia’s eastern corridor prompted Etihad Airways to extend the suspension of all Abu Dhabi–Riyadh and Abu Dhabi–Dammam passenger and cargo services until at least 19 November, while Emirates, flydubai and Air Arabia trimmed frequencies or cancelled rotations on the same city-pairs. The updated notices, first posted on Etihad’s flight-status portal and confirmed by the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority, underline how quickly the regional conflict continues to reshape corporate itineraries. Although Abu Dhabi–Jeddah flights (EY601/602 and EY603/604) were restored on 6 November, forward bookings show loads hovering below 60 % as risk-averse travellers opt for alternative routings through Kuwait, Doha or Muscat. Emirates has taken a similar staggered approach, reinstating selected Jeddah and Madinah services but keeping most Dubai–Riyadh and Dubai–Dammam sectors on hold. Beyond Saudi Arabia, the Gulf News flight tracker shows Iranian carriers remain barred from UAE airspace, while flight schedules to Israel are operating under a patchwork of approvals that can change with 24-hours’ notice. The authorities continue to advise passengers not to proceed to the airport without a reconfirmed booking and to allow extra time for security screening at Dubai International (DXB), Al Maktoum (DWC), Abu Dhabi (AUH) and Sharjah (SHJ). Corporate mobility managers are updating travel-risk dashboards daily. Multinational firms with critical staff movement between UAE free-zones and Saudi project sites have re-activated contingency plans put in place after the October airport attacks: re-routing via Bahrain, chartering turboprops into Dammam’s King Fahd International, and shifting non-essential meetings to virtual channels. Travel buyers are also fielding a spike in refund and re-booking requests as employees seek to avoid involuntary overnights in transit hubs. Practical tip: travellers holding tickets issued on or before 30 October can take advantage of most airlines’ one-time change or full-refund policies. Those with onward connections should reconfirm both sectors, as protection may only apply if the entire itinerary is booked on the same ticket stock.
Source: Gulf News
