Hundreds of passengers stranded in Saudi Arabia today as flight operations faced significant disruption across Riyadh, Jeddah, Medina, and Dammam, with 635 total flight cancellations and delays. The most affected airlines included Saudia (48 cancellations, 145 delays), flyadeal (1 cancellation, 106 delays), Flynas (3 cancellations, 74 delays), IndiGo (25 cancellations, 5 delays), Qatar Airways (35 cancellations), and Gulf Air (24 cancellations). Other well-known carriers experiencing cancellations or delays included FlyDubai, Akasa Air, EgyptAir, KLM, Air France, and SriLankan Airlines.
According to the latest flight data, disruptions reported across four key airports: King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh (81 cancellations, 172 delays), King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah (37 cancellations, 189 delays), King Fahd International Airport, Dammam (38 cancellations, 62 delays), and Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport, Medina (15 cancellations, 41 delays). These operational issues affected passengers travelling through the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, and Medina, impacting flights operated by regional and international airlines throughout the day.
- Updated Today: A total of 635 flights were disrupted across four major Saudi airports, including 464 delays and 171 cancellations.
- King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah recorded the highest delays with 189 flights delayed.
- King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh reported the highest cancellations with 81 flights cancelled.
- Saudia experienced the largest combined operational disruption among airlines with 48 cancellations and 145 delays.
- Low-cost carriers flyadeal and Flynas accounted for a major share of delays across multiple airports.
- Qatar Airways, IndiGo, and Gulf Air recorded high cancellation counts at several airports.
- Major aviation hubs in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, and Medina were simultaneously affected.
Most Affected Airports
King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh recorded 81 cancellations and 172 delays, making it the airport with the highest number of cancellations among the four locations analyzed. Airlines such as Saudia, Qatar Airways, IndiGo, and Gulf Air accounted for many of the disruptions, while flyadeal and Flynas contributed a large share of delays.
King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah
King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah reported 37 cancellations and 189 delays, the highest delay count among the affected airports. Major disruption contributors included Saudia, flyadeal, Flynas, Qatar Airways, IndiGo, and Gulf Air, affecting passengers travelling through the busy Red Sea gateway.
King Fahd International Airport, Dammam
At King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, authorities recorded 38 cancellations and 62 delays. Several airlines saw cancellations here, including IndiGo, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways, and Oman Air, while Flynas and flyadeal accounted for a large portion of delayed flights.
Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport, Medina
Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Medina experienced 15 cancellations and 41 delays. Cancellations were concentrated among Qatar Airways, Gulf Air, FlyDubai, and IndiGo, while flyadeal, Flynas, and Saudia contributed most of the delays.
Airlines Most Affected by Flight Cancellations and Delays
Saudia
Saudia recorded 48 cancellations and 145 delays across the four airports, the largest combined disruption total among airlines. The carrier saw delays across Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, and Medina, reflecting the scale of its operations across Saudi Arabia’s busiest aviation hubs.
flyadeal
flyadeal reported 1 cancellation and 106 delays, one of the highest delay totals among airlines in the dataset. The majority of these disruptions were delays rather than cancellations.
Flynas
Flynas experienced 3 cancellations and 74 delays, placing it among the airlines with the highest delay counts overall. Much of the airline’s disruption involved schedule delays rather than cancelled flights.
IndiGo
IndiGo recorded 25 cancellations and 5 delays, with the majority of its disruptions occurring as cancellations rather than delayed departures.
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways experienced 35 cancellations across the four airports. The cancellations occurred across Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, and Medina, affecting routes connecting Saudi cities with regional hubs.
Gulf Air
Gulf Air recorded 24 cancellations and no reported delays, impacting passengers travelling through Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, and Medina. Many of the airline’s scheduled flights were cancelled rather than delayed.
What Can Affected Passengers Do?
- Check airline notifications and real-time flight status updates before travelling to airports such as Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport or Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport.
- Contact the airline directly for rebooking or alternate flight arrangements.
- Allow additional time when travelling to busy hubs like Dammam or Medina, where delays may continue to affect schedules.
- Monitor airport announcements and airline mobile apps for schedule changes.
- Keep travel documents accessible in case airlines reassign gates or offer rebooked flights departing from nearby times.
Overview of Flight Cancellations And Delays
The disruptions recorded today highlight the scale of operational challenges across Saudi Arabia’s key aviation gateways. Airports in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, and Medina collectively reported 464 delayed flights and 171 cancellations, affecting passengers across domestic and international routes.
Major airlines such as Saudia, Flynas, flyadeal, Qatar Airways, IndiGo, and Gulf Air accounted for a significant share of disruptions across these airports. Additional carriers, including FlyDubai, Akasa Air, EgyptAir, KLM, Air France, and SriLankan Airlines also experienced cancellations or delays.
Passengers travelling through Riyadh and Jeddah, two of Saudi Arabia’s busiest aviation hubs, experienced particularly high levels of disruption due to the volume of flights handled at these airports. Meanwhile, Dammam and Medina also recorded operational impacts that contributed to the overall disruption totals reported today.
Together, the disruption figures from Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, and Medina demonstrate how delays and cancellations affecting multiple airlines can ripple across interconnected flight schedules, impacting travellers moving through Saudi Arabia’s major airport network.
