Hundreds of Travelers Impacted Over Gulf with 1,150 Cancelled and 1,280 Delays at Doha, Dammam and More

Major airports, including Doha, Dammam, and other regional aviation hubs, are affected by 1,150 canceled flights and 1,280 delays, causing extensive disruption for hundreds of travelers around the Gulf. Thousands of travelers in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and other nations have been impacted by the interruptions. Regional operations have been made more difficult by airline schedule changes, airspace constraints, and growing security concerns. Riyadh and Jeddah have reported significant cancellations, indicating that Saudi Arabia has been particularly severely disrupted. Major airlines that have had operating difficulties include Saudia, Flynas, Qatar Airways, and Emirates. As a result, travelers experience delayed connections, extended wait times, and unforeseen trip modifications. As passengers look for updated flight information, alternate connections, and more precise instructions on their impending departures, airlines continue to modify their timetables.

Saudi Arabia Faces Severe Flight Disruptions Across Major Airports

Saudi Arabia recorded particularly high cancellation figures, with Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport reporting 235 delays and 172 cancellations. King Fahd International Airport in Dammam registered 55 delays and 83 cancellations, while Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah reported 38 delays and 31 cancellations.

Other Saudi airports also experienced disruption. Abha recorded 13 delays and 29 cancellations, Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Regional Airport 11 delays and 17 cancellations, and Taif International Airport three delays and 14 cancellations.

Hail reported three delays and 12 cancellations, Al Jouf two delays and 12 cancellations, Bisha two delays and seven cancellations, and Guriat one delay and six cancellations. King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Regional Airport registered zero delays and six cancellations, while Al Qaisumah International Airport reported zero delays and five cancellations.

Saudi Airlines Record High Cancellation Rates

Saudia reported 266 cancellations, representing 49% of its recorded flights, alongside 108 delays, or 20%.

Flynas registered 116 cancellations (44%) and 43 delays (16%), while flyadeal recorded 65 cancellations (35%) and 24 delays (13%).

Riyadh Air reported 24 cancellations, representing 72%, with no delays (0%). These figures demonstrate the substantial disruption affecting Saudi carriers.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Gulf Aviation Hubs Affected

Dubai International Airport recorded 198 delays and 66 cancellations, while Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport registered 119 delays and 10 cancellations. Sharjah International Airport reported 78 delays and 10 cancellations.

Qatar’s Hamad International Airport experienced 119 delays and 32 cancellations. Bahrain International Airport recorded 27 delays and 10 cancellations.

Elsewhere, Cairo International Airport registered 137 delays and 43 cancellations, Jordan’s Queen Alia International Airport reported 25 delays and 16 cancellations, and Damascus International Airport recorded eight delays and nine cancellations.

Istanbul Airport in Türkiye reported 204 delays and 22 cancellations, demonstrating that disruption extends beyond the Gulf.

Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad and Regional Carriers Report Schedule Changes

Qatar Airways recorded 26 cancellations (4%) and 108 delays (17%). flydubai reported 26 cancellations (8%) and 75 delays (25%).

Etihad Airways registered eight cancellations (2%) and 98 delays (28%), while Emirates recorded five cancellations (0%, as rounded in the supplied data) and 103 delays (20%).

Air Arabia reported 10 cancellations (4%) and 68 delays (29%). Bahrain’s Gulf Air registered eight cancellations (5%) and 19 delays (13%), while Oman Air reported four cancellations (4%) and nine delays (9%).

EgyptAir recorded 15 cancellations (5%) and 32 delays (11%). Royal Jordanian registered 10 cancellations (6%) and seven delays (4%).

Syrian Arab Airlines reported five cancellations (33%) and two delays (13%). Yemenia Airways recorded four cancellations (26%) and three delays (20%), while Iraq’s Fly Baghdad registered two cancellations (100%) and zero delays (0%).

Turkish Airlines experienced seven cancellations (0%, rounded) and 183 delays (12%), while Pegasus Airlines recorded one cancellation (0%, rounded) and 120 delays (17%).

Which Airports, Cities and Countries Are Most Affected?

The airport figures identify Saudi Arabia as the most heavily affected country in this dataset, particularly Jeddah and Dammam, where cancellations substantially exceed those at most other listed airports.

Dubai, Istanbul and Cairo recorded significant delay volumes, while Doha and Abu Dhabi also experienced considerable schedule disruption.

At airline level, Saudia, Flynas and flyadeal reported the largest cancellation counts. Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Saudia and Emirates recorded particularly high numbers of delayed services.

However, airport and airline figures represent different reporting categories and should not be combined into a single disruption total.

What Should Affected Passengers across the Gulf Region Do Now?

Passengers travelling through affected Middle Eastern airports should check their flight status directly with their airline before departure. Travellers with connecting services should verify every segment of their itinerary.

Those facing cancellations should contact their airline or booking provider about available rebooking and refund options. Passengers experiencing extended delays should enquire about meals, accommodation and alternative connections where applicable under airline policies and passenger rights regulations.

Travellers should also retain their booking confirmations, disruption notices and relevant expense receipts.

Gulf Aviation Disruptions Highlight Wider Travel Uncertainty

The reported figures demonstrate substantial operational disruption across major Gulf aviation markets, with Saudi Arabia recording the most severe cancellation concentrations.

Although the data establishes the scale and geographical distribution of affected flights, it does not independently identify the underlying causes of individual cancellations or delays.

Passengers should continue monitoring official airline and airport updates as schedules change throughout the day.

Data Collection and Editorial Verification

The aviation disruption figures featured in this report were carefully compiled by our editorial team from real-time flight-tracking data recorded on 13 October 2026 at 6:02 pm (14 October 2026 at 2:02 am).

Primary Sources: FlightAware and local correspondents.

Verification Protocol: All reported statistics have been independently reviewed and cross-checked by our editorial team. Timestamped flight records, operational data logs and tracking-feed snapshots have been securely archived to support factual accuracy, historical reference and editorial transparency.

Related Coverage: For additional insights and updates, read our earlier report on flight disruptions across the Gulf region. Click here to access the full article.

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