Emirates Riyadh Flights Still Show as Canceled Through November 13, Not Back on November 8

Emirates flights between Dubai and Riyadh were reported to restart on November 8, 2026, but the airline’s own flight-status system still lists them as canceled. On November 6, every Dubai-Riyadh and Dubai-Dammam flight AeroCorner checked from November 8 through November 13 carried a canceled status.

The gap matters for anyone holding a ticket to the Saudi capital this weekend. It also shows how uneven the return to King Khalid International Airport has been since it partially reopened on October 25 after attacks by Yemen’s Houthis.

What Emirates’ own system shows

A November 6 roundup by The National listed Emirates’ Dubai-Riyadh and Dubai-Dammam services as scheduled to resume on November 8. The same outlet had warned in October that those planned return dates were subject to change.

Emirates’ public flight-status service tells a different story. Riyadh flights EK815, EK817 and EK819 and Dammam flights EK821, EK823 and EK827 all show as canceled on each day from November 8 to November 13. The return flights we checked for November 11 to 13 are canceled too.

Those records were last updated on October 30. For the dates we checked between November 14 and 27, the system returned no Riyadh or Dammam flights at all, while flights from November 28 onward still appear as scheduled.

Jeddah is a different picture. Emirates flight EK803 from Dubai arrived in Jeddah on November 6, although the overnight EK801 remains canceled. Emirates had not published a Saudi notice on its travel-updates page at the time of writing.

Who else is staying away from Riyadh

Etihad Airways has canceled all passenger and cargo flights from Abu Dhabi to Riyadh and Dammam through Thursday, November 19, according to an updated Etihad notice quoted by Gulf News. Its Jeddah flights EY601, EY602, EY603 and EY604 were due back on November 6, and the airline warned that further changes are possible.

Oman’s SalamAir says on its travel-updates page that its Riyadh and Dammam flights are canceled until November 30, citing regional security developments. Philippine Airlines has suspended its Manila-Riyadh flights PR654 and PR655 until November 29, which it attributes to the evolving security situation at King Khalid International.

Some carriers have been away for months. KLM, which has not flown to Riyadh and Dammam for most of 2026, extended its cancellations on October 26 up to and including November 27.

Cathay Pacific has canceled its Dubai and Riyadh passenger flights up to and including January 31, 2027. Its notice, last updated on September 28, cites the latest developments in the Middle East and offers affected travelers a rebooking, a reroute or a refund.

Airline	Saudi routes	Status as of November 6
Emirates	Dubai to Riyadh and Dammam	Canceled November 8 to 13 in its flight-status system
Emirates	Dubai to Jeddah	EK803 operating, EK801 canceled
Etihad Airways	Abu Dhabi to Riyadh and Dammam	Canceled through November 19
Etihad Airways	Abu Dhabi to Jeddah	EY601 to EY604 back from November 6
KLM	Amsterdam to Riyadh and Dammam	Canceled through November 27
Philippine Airlines	Manila to Riyadh	Suspended until November 29
SalamAir	Muscat to Riyadh and Dammam	Canceled until November 30
Cathay Pacific	Hong Kong to Riyadh	Canceled through January 31, 2027

The National reports that King Khalid is still operating under restrictions. Some Saudia flights for the capital are being routed through Al Qassim or Dammam, with passengers finishing the trip to Riyadh by bus.

Why the restart dates keep slipping

Foreign airlines tend to extend a suspension in short blocks rather than cancel a route for a season. KLM’s own statement shows the pattern: since March it has pushed its Riyadh and Dammam end date back more than a dozen times, often by two weeks at a time.

That habit means a published “resume” date is often just the day after the current cancellation block ends. A flight still listed as scheduled past that point has not been cleared to operate; it simply has not been canceled yet.

The Emirates gap suggests that roundups built from earlier notices can lag an airline’s own flight data. For travelers, the flight-status page on the airline’s own site is the most current check, and it is worth repeating the day before departure.

Anyone booked on Emirates to Riyadh or Dammam between November 8 and 13 is holding a flight the airline’s system already shows as canceled. Rebooking and refund terms differ by airline, so the carrier’s own notice is the place to check them.