UAE Residents Briefing: Saudi Flight Cancellations Continue Amid US-Israel-Iran Conflict, Hormuz Incidents Persist
Why It MattersGulf carriers' regional networks are being split between Saudi routes and long-haul links, and schedule recovery is running on announced return dates that depend on the security situation.
What happened
Fresh incidents continued in the Gulf and around the Strait of Hormuz on Nov. 9, 2026, while wider operational disruption continued to affect flight schedules.
Saudi routes are the most disrupted for UAE-based carriers. Etihad has cancelled all Abu Dhabi flights to Riyadh and Dammam until Nov. 19. flydubai has suspended Riyadh and Abha through Nov. 16, with Dammam resuming Nov. 10. Emirates and Air Arabia cancelled some Dubai flights to Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah on Nov. 8, and Air Arabia cancelled Sharjah flights to Riyadh, Abha, Jizan and Tabuk.
International connections are only partly restored. British Airways resumed Dubai flights on Nov. 3. Philippine Airlines returned to Dubai on Oct. 21, joining Cebu Pacific; both operate four weekly Dubai–Manila flights. Lufthansa, SWISS and Eurowings are due back on Nov. 25, and Austrian Airlines plans a Dec. 12 return; these remain announced schedules, not completed resumptions. Singapore Airlines' SQ494/SQ495 services are suspended through Feb. 28, 2027, and Cathay Pacific's Dubai suspension runs through Jan. 31, 2027. Several other carriers also retain restrictions extending into next year.
US Central Command said US forces struck and disabled the Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged cargo ship M/V Huda in the Gulf of Oman on Nov. 7, 2026, after its crew allegedly ignored repeated warnings and made multiple attempts to breach Washington's naval blockade of Iran. A US military aircraft fired precision munitions at the vessel's stern after American forces instructed its civilian crew to leave the targeted areas. CentCom said the ship had visited an Iranian port and was attempting to depart regional waters.
Separately, the UAE National Guard announced on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, the rescue of 22 crew members in the Gulf of Oman. It did not identify the vessel, its flag, its cargo, the exact location or the cause of the fire, and it is unclear whether the rescued crew served aboard the Huda; several outlets described them as separate incidents. UKMTO had received a report on Nov. 7 of an incident involving a bulk carrier about 18 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan, whose crew reported a fire aboard. All 22 crew, who are Arab nationals, were evacuated, given first aid and handed over to authorities. In Saudi Arabia, air defenses intercepted Houthi missiles aimed at Riyadh and the Eastern Region, and shrapnel damaged an Aramco building in Riyadh with no injuries reported.
Diplomacy and oil prices
Brent crude fell toward $97 a barrel on Monday and WTI toward $90, extending a drop of more than 13% last week on hopes of a US-Iran breakthrough. Murban crude, however, rose 3.42%, or $3.28, to $99.17 per barrel. Lower crude prices do not automatically change petrol prices.
US President Donald Trump said Sunday it is "highly unlikely" he would order new attacks on Iran as long as talks progress. Iran's foreign minister told Washington to accept Tehran's proposal to end hostilities on all fronts or face retaliation that would "rain down hell," and said no negotiations had taken place since the "shock" of the US midterms. Israel's defense minister said its mission against Iran is "not complete." Iranian state TV reported three projectiles launched from Sirik toward the Strait of Hormuz, and explosions were heard on Qeshm Island, in Jask and in Bandar Abbas.
Industry impact & what to watch
The pattern of cancellations shows how a security-driven disruption fragments a Gulf carrier's network unevenly. Saudi routes from Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah carry the longest suspensions, with Etihad's running to Nov. 19, while the long-haul links are returning on a separate, slower track. Several of the dates that matter are announced schedules rather than completed resumptions, so for a network planner each one is a commitment that can still slip.
The divergence between suspensions that end within days and those that run into 2027 matters for capacity planning. Short regional suspensions can be reversed quickly once an airline judges the risk acceptable. Suspensions running to Jan. 31 and Feb. 28, 2027 signal that some carriers are planning around a long horizon, which affects connecting traffic and the competitive position of carriers that have stayed in the market.
The next dated markers are concrete: flydubai's Dammam resumption on Nov. 10, the end of its Riyadh and Abha suspension on Nov. 16, Etihad's Nov. 19 date, and the Nov. 25 return of Lufthansa, SWISS and Eurowings. Whether those dates hold will say more about operating conditions than the diplomatic statements issued in the same days.
