Saudia Faces Travel Disruption as Eight Flights are Cancelled, Affecting Jeddah, Dammam and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Along with Dhaka in Bangladesh and Nairobi in Kenya, What You Need to Know

Published on November 3, 2025

A wave of travel disruption is currently challenging operational stability of Saudia. Eight flights were cancelled, immediately impacting passenger plans. Furthermore, a substantial delay rate was recorded, causing significant inconvenience across the network. Specifically, major hubs in Saudi Arabia were affected, including Jeddah, Dammam and Riyadh. On the international front, key cities like Dhaka in Bangladesh and Nairobi in Kenya also experienced the fallout from these operational issues. The total number of delays reached 73. This detailed breakdown of cancelled flights and extensive delays highlights the scope of the recent operational hurdles faced by the airline.

A Breakdown of the Affected Flights

The operational irregularities were distributed across several key routes, impacting both domestic and international travel. A list of eight specific affected Saudia flights was identified. These flights, which were scheduled across Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, involved a mix of narrow-body and wide-body aircraft, illustrating the widespread nature of the disruption across the Saudia fleet.

Four of the identified Saudia flights were scheduled on Sunday, utilizing Airbus A321 and A320 aircraft. The Sunday schedule saw flights SVA1110 and SVA1116 operating from King Abdulaziz International (JED) to King Fahd International (DMM). Their return legs were noted as SVA1109 and SVA1115, operating from DMM back to JED.

Moving into Monday, three specific flight numbers were recorded: SVA1057, SVA808 and SVA1025. Flight SVA1057 was noted as utilizing an A20N aircraft on a domestic route, while flights SVA808 (B773) and SVA1025 (B773) involved the larger Boeing 777-300 aircraft.

Finally, the disruption extended to Tuesday, with flight SVA430 being identified, which was serviced by an Airbus A333 wide-body aircraft.

The reported incidents—specifically the eight flight cancellations and the 73 delays—affected both key domestic Saudi Arabian corridors and critical international connections.

Domestically, the triangular operation involving the three major Saudi airports was clearly impacted. Two round-trip sequences were noted between King Abdulaziz International Airport (Jeddah / JED) and King Fahd International Airport (Dammam / DMM). An additional domestic route was identified as operating between King Khalid International Airport (Riyadh / RUH) and King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED).

Internationally, two long-haul routes were explicitly affected. One involved the connection between King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) in Saudi Arabia and Shahjalal International Airport (Dhaka / DAC) in Bangladesh. The other involved the route terminating at King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (Nairobi / NBO) in Kenya.

Delays

The scale of the inconvenience to passengers was underscored by the metric on delays. An overall number of 73 delays was recorded across the operations during the reporting period. This volume translated to a 12% percentage of delays figure, signifying that a substantial proportion of services did not operate on schedule. The widespread delays compounded the impact of the eight complete cancellations.

Affected Airports

Operational stability was compromised at five distinct international airports across three countries:

1. King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: This hub was listed as either the origin or destination for seven of the eight specific flights, indicating it was the primary epicenter of the disruptions.
2. King Fahd International Airport (DMM) in Dammam, Saudi Arabia: This airport was involved in four domestic flight legs, highlighting domestic travel issues.
3. King Khalid International Airport (RUH) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: This capital city’s airport was the starting point for two domestic flights heading toward Jeddah.
4. Shahjalal International Airport (DAC) in Dhaka, Bangladesh: This airport was identified as the international destination for one affected flight.
5. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) in Nairobi, Kenya: This airport was noted as the origin point for the single affected flight on Tuesday.

Probable Impact on Local Tourism

Given the eight cancellations and 73 delays reported, an adverse impact on passenger confidence and travel logistics can be inferred. The two identified international destinations, Dhaka and Nairobi, rely on consistent air travel for both inbound business and tourism traffic. The disruptions to flights serving these critical markets are likely to have caused scheduling conflicts for onward travel and accommodation, affecting the reputation of air services facilitating tourism in Bangladesh and Kenya. In Saudi Arabia, the delays and cancellations across the three major cities of Jeddah, Dammam and Riyadh will have primarily impacted domestic mobility and the movement of business travelers, potentially causing economic ripple effects.

What Affected Passengers Can Do

Passengers in a situation like this are advised to refer directly to the communication channels provided by Saudia. The airline is responsible for managing rebooking and compensation processes related to the eight cancelled flights and any significant delays. Documentation of the original itinerary, including the scheduled date and time (e.g., Sunday 09:10 AM +03 for SVA1110, or Tuesday 02:50 AM EAT for SVA430), should be retained. Affected travelers should seek clarity regarding their entitlements based on the extent of the disruption experienced, whether it was a minor delay or a complete cancellation.

-The information provided is sourced from FlightAware.