Travellers flying between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia still face a patchwork of suspensions on Tuesday, November 10: Etihad Airways has cancelled all passenger and cargo flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, and between Abu Dhabi and Dammam, through Thursday, November 19, while flydubai's cancellations on Saudi routes were still showing on Tuesday itself — and the two airlines' restart dates do not match.

Source: The Arabian Post

Etihad's suspension applies in both directions on both Saudi routes, covering King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. The airline has warned that further schedule changes are possible and urged passengers to check their exact flight status before travelling to the airport. November 19 is the last day of the announced cancellation period, not a guaranteed resumption date — the airline has not promised that normal operations will automatically restart on November 20, according to its travel advisory as reported by Gulf News.

The picture is different for Jeddah. Etihad resumed selected Abu Dhabi–Jeddah services from Friday, November 6 — flights EY601 and EY603 to Jeddah and the return services EY602 and EY604 — and its other Jeddah flights continue as scheduled, Khaleej Times reported. Passengers should check their flight number, because the Jeddah restart does not cover the suspended Riyadh and Dammam routes.

Dubai-based flydubai is on a different timetable again. Its Dammam services remained affected on Tuesday, November 10, even though booking information had indicated flights might become available from that date. flydubai has cancelled its Riyadh and Abha services up to and including Monday, November 16, with bookings indicating possible flights from November 17. Emirates had separately indicated plans to restore passenger services from Dubai to Riyadh and Dammam from November 8, although whether each individual flight operates remains subject to confirmation.

Even Saudi Arabia's own carriers are not running a normal schedule: Monday's flight listings included the cancellation of Riyadh Air services RX241 and RX243 from Riyadh to Dubai, Khaleej Times reported. Other foreign airlines are also still out of Riyadh and Dammam into mid-November, with Air India, Air India Express and IndiGo listed as suspended until November 14 and Lufthansa and ITA Airways until November 18 in airline-status roundups — dates that have already moved once and may move again.

Why the flights are off

The suspensions follow the Houthi missile and drone campaign against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, and air-defence interceptions over the capital — most recently early on Tuesday, when the Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed a ballistic missile and a cruise missile over Riyadh, a ballistic missile over the south of the kingdom and a drone over the Eastern Province.

Read the full report on Tuesday's missile interceptions over Riyadh and the coalition's strikes in Yemen: Saudi defences intercept Houthi missiles over Riyadh

For the lakhs of Indian and Punjabi workers who live in the UAE and Saudi Arabia — and for families travelling between the Gulf, Punjab and the rest of India for work, weddings and emergencies — the practical advice from the airlines is the same: do not rely on a published restart date, check the airline's own flight-status page for your exact flight, and use the rebooking or refund options the carrier offers for cancelled services. Etihad has apologised for the inconvenience and said its teams are assisting affected customers.