Etihad Airways has extended the cancellation of its Abu Dhabi-Riyadh flights after King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh issued an advisory over an operational disruption at the airport. According to the airline, flights EY555, EY556, EY559 and EY560 were cancelled on October 10. On October 11, six flights — EY551, EY552, EY555, EY556, EY559 and EY560 — will not operate, and on October 12, flights EY551 and EY552 on the Abu Dhabi-Riyadh route are also cancelled.
Riyadh airport has urged passengers to confirm their flight status before heading to the airport and to contact their airline directly to verify whether a specific flight is operating. Etihad, for its part, said in a statement that the situation "remains dynamic" and that further schedule changes are possible in the coming days.
The disruption is not limited to Etihad. Emirates, flydubai and Air Arabia have all reported cancellations on routes connecting the UAE and Saudi Arabia, affecting flights between Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah on one side and Riyadh and Abha on the other.
For business travellers and tourists with trips planned between the UAE and Saudi Arabia in the coming days, airlines are advising passengers to check their flight status through the carrier's website or app shortly before departure, since schedules could shift again as the situation at Riyadh airport develops. The episode is a reminder of how quickly an operational disruption at one major regional hub can ripple across the networks of several airlines and neighbouring countries at once.