Akasa Air Keeps Jeddah Off Until November 18 and Riyadh Until November 30, Past Air India’s and IndiGo’s Dates

Akasa Air flights to and from Jeddah will stay suspended until and including November 18, 2026, and flights to and from Riyadh until and including November 30. The airline announced the dates on its X account on Sunday, November 1, citing “the prevailing security situation” in Saudi Arabia.

Only the Jeddah date actually moved. Akasa’s October 23 notice had already set November 30 for Riyadh and November 10 for Jeddah, so Sunday’s update adds eight days to Jeddah and leaves Riyadh where it was.

It is the fifth Saudi notice on Akasa’s X account since October 13. Every Jeddah date in the four earlier ones (October 17, October 21, October 27 and November 10) was replaced before it arrived, so the new date is no firm promise of a restart.

How Akasa’s dates compare

Of the four Indian airlines suspending these routes, Akasa now has the latest dates on both. Its Jeddah date runs four days beyond the November 14 date at Air India and IndiGo, and its Riyadh date runs 16 days beyond it.

Airline	Saudi cities	Suspended until	Notice posted
Akasa Air	Jeddah	November 18 (inclusive)	November 1
Akasa Air	Riyadh	November 30 (inclusive)	November 1
Air India and Air India Express	Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam	November 14 (inclusive)	October 30
IndiGo	Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Madinah	November 14	October 28

The three groups also give different reasons. Akasa cites security, Air India “the prevailing situation in the region,” and IndiGo “ongoing airspace restrictions in the region.” IndiGo’s October 23 notice had spoken of “the evolving security situation.”

Akasa is not alone in staying out of Riyadh into the winter. The National reported on October 30 that Air France’s Riyadh pause runs until December 12.

What Akasa passengers can do

Affected Akasa passengers can take a full refund, credited to the original form of payment within seven days, or reschedule at no additional cost. Anyone who booked through a travel partner is asked to contact that partner directly.

Akasa’s notice sets no rebooking deadline or booking-date cutoff. Air India’s does: one free rebooking, up to November 29, for bookings issued on or before October 30. IndiGo’s notice says its teams are contacting customers but lists no refund or rebooking terms.

Is Riyadh airport open?

Partly. King Khalid International Airport’s October 24 travel alert put domestic flights in Terminal 1 and national carriers’ international flights in Terminal 2 from October 25, as we reported at the reopening.

The US Mission’s October 30 security alert still describes a “partial reopening,” though it dates it to October 23, and says some flights normally based at Riyadh are using Qassim instead. The same alert calls Jeddah and Dammam operational with some delays and cancellations.

India’s diplomats say India-bound service from Riyadh has restarted in a limited way, on a Saudi airline. The Indian Embassy said on October 27 that limited operations had begun at the airport “including for India by Flynas airlines.”

The Consulate General of India in Jeddah said the same day that flynas had announced Riyadh flights to Delhi, Hyderabad and Kozhikode “on select dates,” without listing them. It added that flynas had announced extra Dammam flights to six Indian cities, and that Saudi carriers continued to fly to India from Jeddah and Madinah.

We found no newer update from either mission on which flights are operating as of November 1, so passengers should check with the airline before leaving for the airport. That is also what both missions advise.

Help for Umrah pilgrims

The Umrah advisory circulating with Sunday’s coverage is not new. The Jeddah consulate issued it on October 24, and it says the consulate is talking to Saudi ministries about visa validity and delayed departures.

Pilgrims with accommodation or service problems during an extended stay can call the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s Pilgrim Care Center on 1966, from inside Saudi Arabia, and get a case reference number. They can then share that number with the consulate’s round-the-clock control rooms in Jeddah and Makkah.

The advisory also says the consulate is in contact with Indian airlines about difficulties in obtaining refunds, which passengers and tour operators have reported to it. Umrah operators looking for seats home can ask the consulate to connect them with airlines still flying to India, subject to availability and fares.