Air France Keeps Dubai Flights Off Until November 7 and Riyadh Until December 12

Air France has extended its suspension of flights to Dubai until November 7, 2026, and to Riyadh until December 12. Aerospace Global News reported the extension as announced on Thursday, October 29.

In a statement carried by The National, the airline said affected customers “are being contacted individually.” The same report says Air France has resumed its regular flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut.

Air France cited the changing security situation, according to News.az. As of November 1, we found no later update replacing these dates.

One week for Dubai, several for Riyadh

The two routes moved by very different amounts. Aerospace Global News, citing Reuters, says that on October 20 Dubai was suspended through October 31 and Riyadh through November 7, so Dubai has gained just one week.

Riyadh’s move is larger. French trade title Voyages d’Affaires listed its return as November 14 in an update dated October 27, which makes the new date four to five weeks later, depending on which earlier date you count from.

Riyadh’s airport also remains the more restricted of the two. IBTimes reports that King Khalid International Airport partially reopened on October 25, with each arrival and departure needing prior permission from Saudi Arabia’s aviation authority.

The airport had lost about 86 percent of its departures between October 8 and 25, according to Cirium data. IBTimes also reports that Saudi defenses said they intercepted missiles and drones in the Riyadh area on the evening of October 29.

These routes have stopped and started before

Air France first canceled both routes on February 28, after US and Israeli strikes on Iran, Aerospace Global News says. The suspension has not been unbroken: Aviation A2Z reported both routes coming back on August 26.

The return did not hold. By September 24, Khaleej Times was reporting a notice that suspended Riyadh up to and including September 28 and Dubai up to and including October 13.

KLM took the opposite approach

Air France’s short step stands out against its group sibling. KLM has dropped Amsterdam-Dubai for the whole winter season, up to and including March 27, 2027, and has canceled Riyadh and Dammam through November 27, according to its October 26 statement.

Singapore Airlines has also gone long, with its Dubai flights canceled until February 28, 2027. Air France’s Dubai date, by contrast, is about a week away, which leaves ticket holders waiting on the next notice.

The statements we read do not explain the difference between Air France and KLM. A full-season decision gives passengers a date to plan around, while a rolling date keeps the route in play if conditions improve, but can move again with little warning.

The Lufthansa Group’s flight page, dated October 28, sits in between on Dubai. It lists Munich-Dubai from November 25 and Austrian Airlines’ Vienna-Dubai from December 12, with Frankfurt-Riyadh suspended through November 18.

What to check if you hold a ticket

Do not treat either date as a confirmed restart. Aerospace Global News makes the same point, advising passengers to check their individual bookings rather than assume that flights after the deadline will operate.

Check the days just after each date, too. An August extension reported by Gulf News suspended Dubai until August 18 but also affected departures from Dubai on August 19, so a return leg can fall a day beyond the stated date.

Under EU rules, Aerospace Global News says, passengers on a canceled flight can choose a refund or rerouting, and may be owed meals and accommodation while they wait. Fixed compensation may not be payable, because security risks and airspace restrictions can count as extraordinary circumstances.