UAE airports saw a wave of flight cancellations and delays on Saturday, October 31, driven largely by regional tensions and airspace restrictions across the Middle East. Emirates cancelled six return flights to Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah, while Etihad suspended its Abu Dhabi-Saudi Arabia routes through November 5 and delayed its Abu Dhabi-Krabi service. Flydubai cancelled multiple Saudi Arabia routes, and Air Arabia pulled more than 20 flights from Abu Dhabi and Sharjah off its schedule.

Singapore Airlines extended its Dubai suspension until February 28, 2027, and more than 20 other carriers, including IndiGo, Air France, KLM and Lufthansa, have halted Saudi Arabia services through November and into January 2027. Arriving flights from Aeroflot, flydubai and Air India Express out of Russia and India have also faced delays of three to four hours.

Despite the disruption, data shows UAE flight capacity in October rose 23 percent compared to June, reaching roughly 7.2 million departing seats, with Dubai accounting for 4.6 million, Abu Dhabi 1.7 million and Sharjah 840,000. Around 36 weekly Dubai-Europe flights are expected to resume between late October and December. Travellers have been advised to check directly with their airlines for the latest schedules, rebooking options and refund arrangements.