Etihad Resumes Jeddah Flights but Keeps Riyadh and Dammam Cancelled Until November 19

The partial restart restores one of the UAE's links to Saudi Arabia, but not to the capital, Riyadh, or to Dammam in the Eastern Province. Etihad said the situation remained dynamic and that more changes to its schedule were possible. It told passengers to check their flight status on its website before travelling.

According to the advisory, flights EY601 and EY603 from Abu Dhabi to Jeddah and EY602 and EY604 on the return leg are among those resuming from Friday. The airline said all other flights on the route would run as scheduled. It apologised for the disruption and said its teams were helping affected passengers rebook.

The UAE's other big carrier on these routes is restoring service in stages. Flydubai had cancelled all flights to Abha, Dammam and Riyadh up to and including November 5. Khaleej Times checked the airline's website and found Dubai-Jeddah flights available from November 6, Dubai-Dammam flights from November 10, and services to Abha and Riyadh from November 17.

Many flights between the UAE and Saudi Arabia were cancelled after the Iran-backed Houthi group attacked Saudi airports. A missile strike on Riyadh's international airport on October 10 killed 14 people and injured more than 300, according to Khaleej Times.

The suspensions are an extra cost for travellers and companies that do business across the two largest Gulf economies, at a time when the wider US/Israel-Iran conflict is still disrupting the region's transport links. Etihad's next update on the Riyadh and Dammam routes is due before the current cancellation period ends on November 19.