UAE flights to Saudi Arabia cancelled as regional disruptions hit DXB and Zayed International

UAE flight schedules faced significant disruptions on Tuesday, 20 October, as airlines cancelled dozens of services to Saudi Arabia and reported mounting delays across major hubs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium revealed that 45.49% of all scheduled departures from Saudi Arabia were affected on Monday, with Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport seeing 66% of its flights cancelled or grounded. Airlines suspend Saudi Arabian routes Etihad Airways has confirmed the cancellation of all flights between Abu Dhabi and Dammam, Riyadh, and Jeddah through Saturday, 24 October. The carrier stated the situation is dynamic and further changes may occur. Similarly, Emirates and flydubai have suspended multiple daily services to the same three Saudi cities. Specifically, flydubai cancelled flights FZ847, FZ841, and FZ855 to Riyadh, alongside multiple rotations to Dammam, Abha, and Ha'il. Dubai International (DXB) also reported regional cancellations beyond Saudi Arabia, including Jazeera Airways flight J9 122 to Kuwait. However, services to Medina currently remain operational for both Emirates and flydubai, with several flights arriving and departing on schedule on Tuesday. Global routes hit by delays At Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, long-haul and regional routes are experiencing heavy delays. Etihad flight EY002 to New York, originally scheduled for 12:45pm, was pushed back to 5:25pm, a delay of nearly five hours. Other affected routes…