October 17, 2026 — Emirates has cancelled every scheduled flight between Dubai and Saudi Arabia’s three biggest gateways, Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, for Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18, following Houthi attacks on Saudi airports.
What happened
On Thursday, October 15, all eight of Emirates’ scheduled Saudi departures were cancelled or did not operate. Reports published on October 16 and 17 show the cancellations now cover the full Dubai–Riyadh, Dubai–Jeddah and Dubai–Dammam schedules on October 17 and 18, in both directions.
| Route | Outbound flights cancelled | Return flights cancelled | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai – Riyadh | EK815, EK817, EK819 | EK816, EK818, EK820 | Oct. 17–18 |
| Dubai – Jeddah | EK801, EK803, EK805 | EK802, EK804, EK806 | Oct. 17–18 |
| Dubai – Dammam | EK821, EK823, EK827 | EK822, EK824, EK828 | Oct. 17–18 |
| Dubai – Medina | EK807, EK809 shown as operating or scheduled | EK808, EK810 shown as scheduled | Not confirmed — check before travel |
Emirates has not published a resumption date for Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam (TBA). Gulf News also reports that Emirates has suspended codeshare operations on affected Tel Aviv routes until further notice.
Why
Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, hit in an October 10 attack, has operations suspended through October 17. Cirium data cited in UAE media shows that on October 15, about 81% of Riyadh departures and roughly 46% of departures across Saudi Arabia were cancelled or did not operate. Jeddah and Dammam airports remain open, but many individual flights are not running.
Who is affected
- Anyone booked on Emirates between Dubai and Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam on October 17 or 18, including connections from Emirates’ wider network.
- Travelers relying on Emirates codeshares to Tel Aviv.
- Rebooking and refund terms for this round of cancellations: TBA — Emirates customers should check with the airline or their booking agent before going to the airport.
What it means for travelers
- Do not plan on Saudi Arabia via Dubai this weekend.
- Expect full flights once service restarts. Two days of cancelled passengers on top of the earlier disruption will be rebooked first, so open seats will be scarce on the first flights back.
- Medina may look like an option. Emirates’ Medina flights were still shown as operating or scheduled, so displaced travelers are likely to fill them. Medina flights were not confirmed as departures, so check status on the day.
- Dubai connections in general: Emirates flights from Dubai to non-Saudi points are not part of these cancellations, but rerouted passengers using Dubai as a gateway could fill up Gulf flights.
Sources
- Gulf News — UAE Flight Status Today: Saudi Disruptions Impact Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, Air Arabia
- Travels Dubai — UAE flights: Fresh cancellations hit Emirates, Etihad and Air Arabia
- Gulf Business — Saudi flight cancellations: Latest list of affected airlines and routes
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