Travel Interrupted in Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia as Airports in Doha, Dubai, Jeddah and Riyadh Faces Three Cancellations and over Three Hundred Delays by Emirates, Saudia and others, New Update

Published on November 6, 2025

Travel was Interrupted across key Gulf states, with operational issues at major Airports in Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The flight situation quickly became challenging as hubs in Doha, Dubai, Jeddah and Riyadh registered a wave of interruptions. Collectively, these four critical locations Faces Three Cancellations and over Three Hundred Delays. The 383 delays directly impacted passengers and put major regional carriers under stress. Specifically, primary airlines like Emirates and Saudia were affected, alongside Several other Airlines. Consequently, the travel system experienced a notable choke point.

Major Airports Affected

Four of the region’s most prominent international airports were affected by the operational snarl, with the degree of disruption varying significantly across the cities of Doha, Dubai, Jeddah and Riyadh. In Qatar, Hamad International Airport was impacted by a total of 93 flight disruptions, comprising one outright cancellation and 92 reported delays.

The highest volume of logistical disruption was observed in Saudi Arabia. King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah was noted for having the greatest number of delays, with 156 flights affected, in addition to one cancellation being registered. Furthermore, King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, saw a substantial number of operational setbacks, with 120 delays being recorded. Notably, this airport managed to maintain operations without any reported cancellations during the period under review.

In the UAE, Al Maktoum International Airport was the site of 16 flight changes. This included one cancellation and 15 recorded delays. These figures establish a clear pattern of service interruption being experienced by inbound and outbound traffic across all four of the highlighted regional hubs.

Impacted Airlines

The operational strain was not confined to a single entity but was distributed across a number of the region’s primary airline operators. The three reported cancellations were distributed evenly among the flag carriers of the respective nations where they occurred.

A single cancellation was attributed to Qatar Airways at its primary hub, Hamad International Airport. Similarly, the one cancellation recorded at Al Maktoum International Airport was linked directly to Emirates. The third cancellation was attributed to Saudia at King Abdulaziz International Airport.

Saudia’s operational challenges were further magnified by numerous delays at the other Saudi hub. A substantial number of delays (46) were attributed to Saudia at King Khalid International Airport. A close second in terms of delays at this same airport was Flynas, which was linked to 40 flight delays.

Beyond these specific figures, delays were being experienced by several other Airlines, like FlyDubai, S7 Airlines, flyadeal and more.

Probable Impact on Local Tourism

The concentration of flight delays in the key economic and tourism centers of Doha, Dubai, Jeddah and Riyadh strongly suggests that the movement of local tourism was subjected to significant stress. While no specific tourism data is referenced, the fact that over 380 flights were delayed implies that thousands of business and leisure itineraries were affected. Scheduled arrivals into and departures from these cities, often used as major global transit points, were inevitably hampered by the widespread operational slowdown. This level of interruption creates the necessity for logistical adjustments for local service providers, including hotel reservations and ground transportation, as travelers’ planned arrival times were not able to be maintained. The reputation of these major Middle Eastern aviation hubs for operational efficiency is directly challenged when cancellations and such a high volume of delays are registered across the busiest regional carriers.

What Affected Passengers Can Do Now

Given the three cancellations and numerous delays that were logged, immediate action regarding rebooking and itinerary adjustments is necessitated for all affected travelers. Passenger rights regarding re-routing or compensation are typically determined by the operating carrier’s policy and the applicable aviation regulations in the departure or arrival jurisdiction. The sudden shift in flight status, from planned operation to cancellation or delay, creates the requirement for passengers to contact their respective airlines, to determine the status of their onward travel. The need for continuous communication is underscored by the current situation, as future flight availability and the fastest routes to final destinations must be confirmed. The high number of delayed flights, totaling 383, means that patience and persistence are required of all passengers awaiting resolution of their disrupted travel plans.

-The information provided is sourced from FlightAware.