Flights Cancelled Throughout Middle East As Dubai, Jeddah, And 9 Other Destinations Face 58 Cancellations And 955 Delays, Impacting Air Travel

Written By: Ryan Rashid

Ryan Rashid

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September 3, 2026 4:15 AM |

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Flights across the Middle East are facing continued schedule changes, with 955 delays and 58 cancellations recorded across Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Türkiye.
The affected cities include Dammam, Amman, Manama, Kuwait City, Abha, Istanbul, Dubai, Jizan, Najran, Jeddah, and Riyadh. Among the airlines seeing the highest number of delays are Emirates, FlyDubai, Pegasus Airlines, Saudia, Flynas, and Kuwait Airways Corporation.
Saudia recorded the highest number of cancellations with 41. Dubai saw the highest number of delays, with 451, followed by Jeddah with 129 and Riyadh with 122.

Airports experiencing the most flight disruptions

Dubai International Airport

Dubai International Airport in Dubai recorded 451 delays and six cancellations. Emirates accounted for 215 delays, while FlyDubai recorded 148. SpiceJet recorded two cancellations, while Air France, Gulf Air, and Kenya Airways each recorded one.

King Abdulaziz International Airport

King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah recorded 129 delays and eight cancellations. Saudia recorded 32 delays and all eight cancellations. Flynas recorded 15 delays, while flyadeal recorded 12.

King Khalid International Airport

King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh recorded 122 delays and 13 cancellations. Saudia accounted for all 13 cancellations and recorded 30 delays. Flynas recorded 28 delays, followed by flyadeal with 12 and Regent Airways with 11.

Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport

Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Istanbul recorded 82 delays and five cancellations. Pegasus Airlines recorded 67 delays and one cancellation, while AJet recorded four cancellations.

Kuwait International Airport

Kuwait International Airport in Kuwait City recorded 47 delays and one cancellation. Kuwait Airways Corporation recorded 27 delays, while Jazeera Airways recorded seven. Akasa Air accounted for the cancellation.

Queen Alia International Airport

Queen Alia International Airport in Amman recorded 41 delays and one cancellation. Royal Jordanian recorded 17 delays and one cancellation, while Flynas and Air Cairo each recorded four delays.

King Fahd International Airport

King Fahd International Airport in Dammam recorded 33 delays and two cancellations. Flynas recorded six delays, while Air Arabia recorded five. Air India accounted for both cancellations.

Bahrain International Airport

Bahrain International Airport in Manama recorded 33 delays and two cancellations. Gulf Air recorded 14 delays and one cancellation, while Air Arabia recorded five delays. Royal Jordanian accounted for the other cancellation.

Airlines recording the highest number of delays and cancellations

Emirates

Emirates recorded 215 delays at Dubai International Airport, the highest delay total among the airlines.

FlyDubai

FlyDubai recorded 173 delays across airports in Dammam, Amman, Manama, Kuwait City, Abha, Istanbul, Dubai, Jeddah, and Riyadh. Its largest individual total came at Dubai International Airport, where it recorded 148 delays.

Pegasus Airlines

Pegasus Airlines recorded 67 delays and one cancellation at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport. Its delay total placed it among the airlines with the highest number of affected services.

Saudia

Saudia recorded 66 delays across Abha, Jeddah, and Riyadh. It also recorded 41 cancellations across Abha, Jizan, Najran, Jeddah, and Riyadh, making it the airline with the highest cancellation total.

Flynas

Flynas recorded 59 delays across Dammam, Amman, Abha, Jeddah, and Riyadh. Its highest individual airport total was 28 delays at King Khalid International Airport.

Kuwait Airways Corporation

Kuwait Airways Corporation recorded 29 delays, including 27 at Kuwait International Airport and two at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport.

What passengers should do when a flight is cancelled

• Check the latest flight status before leaving for the airport.
• Contact the airline regarding rebooking options.
• Confirm the departure time and routing of any replacement flight.
• Keep booking confirmations, boarding passes, and receipts.
• Ask the airline about applicable refund, rebooking, and assistance policies.
• Allow additional time for check-in and airport procedures after a schedule change.
• Check connecting flights if a cancelled service forms part of a larger itinerary.

Operational challenges can affect Middle East flight schedules

Flight cancellations across the Middle East can result from several operational factors. Aircraft availability, crew scheduling, maintenance requirements, airport capacity, air traffic management, weather conditions, and changes to incoming aircraft rotations can all influence departure schedules.

When an aircraft or crew is scheduled to operate several services during the same day, a delay on one route can affect subsequent departures. Major aviation hubs such as Dubai, Jeddah, and Riyadh can therefore experience changes across multiple services when schedules are adjusted.

The wider picture for Middle East air travel

The Middle East is seeing different levels of disruption across its major aviation hubs and regional airports. Dubai International Airport recorded 451 delays, with Emirates and FlyDubai accounting for much of the airline-specific activity at the airport.

In Riyadh, King Khalid International Airport recorded 122 delays and 13 cancellations, with Saudia responsible for all 13 cancellations. Jeddah also saw notable disruption, with King Abdulaziz International Airport recording 129 delays and eight cancellations.

Kuwait City recorded 47 delays at Kuwait International Airport, while Amman saw 41 delays at Queen Alia International Airport. Dammam and Manama each recorded 33 delays at King Fahd International Airport and Bahrain International Airport, respectively.

In Türkiye, Istanbul recorded 82 delays and five cancellations at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport. Pegasus Airlines accounted for 67 delays, while AJet recorded four cancellations.

For travelers moving through the Middle East, checking flight status shortly before departure can help them respond to changes in departure times, connections, aircraft assignments, or cancellations.

The data has been extensively curated by our editorial team using real-time aviation figures recorded on 2 September 2026 at 6:12 pm ET USA (3 September 3:42 am IST)

Primary Source: FlightAware.

Verification Protocol: All statistics have been independently reviewed and cross-checked by our human editorial desk. Timestamped records, data logs and feed snapshots are securely archived internally to support historical accuracy and editorial transparency.

Note: Real-time flight-tracking figures reflect active airspace and operational data. Minor variations may occur when compared with information displayed at individual airport terminals or airline departure gates.

Travellers are advised to check directly with their respective airlines and airports for the latest flight status, schedule changes and operational updates.

Image Source: Dubai Airports Media Library