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Thousands of travellers left stranded in the Middle East today as flight operations across Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait faced widespread disruption, with over 1,000 cancellations and delays across Dubai International Airport (10 cancellations, 165 delays), Cairo International Airport (9 cancellations, 183 delays), Bahrain International Airport (97 cancellations), Abu Dhabi International Airport (5 cancellations, 90 delays), King Khalid International Airport (29 cancellations, 190 delays), King Abdulaziz International Airport (12 cancellations, 202 delays), Kuwait International Airport (11 cancellations), and King Fahd International Airport (11 cancellations, 65 delays).
The most affected airlines include Saudia (164 delays, 22 cancellations), Emirates (109 delays), Egypt Air (107 delays, 14 cancellations), Gulf Air (mostly cancellations across airports, 40+ total), FlyDubai (42 delays, 5 cancellations), and flyadeal (58 delays). Other major carriers such as Etihad Airways, Air India, and Air Cairo also reported operational disruptions.
These disruptions impacted major cities including Kuwait City, Cairo, Manama, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam, across countries such as Kuwait, Egypt, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.

• Updated Today: A total of 895 delays and 184 cancellations were recorded across eight major airports in the Middle East.
• Bahrain International Airport reported the highest cancellations at 97, all linked to a single airline.
• King Abdulaziz International Airport recorded the highest delays at 202, followed by King Khalid International Airport (190).
• Cairo and Dubai emerged as major delay hotspots with 183 and 165 delays, respectively.
• Saudia and Emirates were among the most delay-affected carriers across the region.
• Gulf Air consistently contributed to cancellations across multiple airports with minimal delay involvement.
• Disruptions were primarily delay-driven, accounting for the majority of operational impact.

Most Affected Airports

Bahrain International Airport

Bahrain experienced the highest number of cancellations (97) with no delays, indicating a severe disruption concentrated entirely in canceled operations.

King Abdulaziz International Airport

Jeddah saw the highest delay volume (202 delays) along with 12 cancellations, making it one of the most operationally strained hubs.

King Khalid International Airport

Riyadh recorded 190 delays and 29 cancellations, reflecting a combination of heavy congestion and airline-level disruption.

Cairo International Airport

Cairo reported 183 delays and 9 cancellations, with delays forming the dominant disruption pattern.

Dubai International Airport

Dubai experienced 165 delays and 10 cancellations, largely driven by high traffic and airline-specific delays.

Abu Dhabi International Airport

Abu Dhabi recorded 90 delays and 5 cancellations, indicating moderate but noticeable disruption.

King Fahd International Airport

Dammam saw 65 delays and 11 cancellations, with a balanced mix of disruption types.

Kuwait International Airport

Kuwait recorded 11 cancellations and zero delays, indicating isolated cancellation-driven disruption.

Airlines Most Affected by Flight Cancellations and Delays

Saudia

Saudia emerged as the most significantly impacted airline in the Middle East, recording over 160 delays and 22 cancellations across multiple Saudi airports, particularly in Jeddah and Riyadh, indicating widespread operational strain.

Emirates

Emirates reported 109 delays, primarily concentrated at Dubai International Airport, making it one of the largest contributors to delay volume.

Egypt Air

Egypt Air recorded over 100 delays and multiple cancellations, with significant disruption at Cairo and Saudi airports, showing both delay and cancellation exposure.

Gulf Air

Gulf Air was a major driver of cancellations, contributing heavily across Bahrain, Kuwait, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Saudi airports, while showing minimal delay activity.

FlyDubai

FlyDubai reported over 40 delays and 5 cancellations, mainly centered at Dubai, reflecting operational pressure within the UAE network.

flyadeal

flyadeal contributed notable delay volumes (50+ delays) across Saudi airports, particularly in Jeddah and Dammam, without significant cancellations.

Flynas

Flynas recorded substantial delays across Riyadh and Dammam, contributing to overall congestion without cancellations.

Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways faced delay disruptions primarily in Abu Dhabi and Jeddah, with limited cancellations but consistent delay impact.

What Can Impacted Passengers Do?

• Check real-time flight status through official airline or airport channels
• Arrive early at the airport to accommodate possible schedule changes
• Stay in contact with airlines for rebooking or compensation options
• Keep essential items and documents accessible in carry-on baggage
• Monitor weather and operational updates that may affect flights
• Consider flexible travel plans where possible

Learn More

Overview of Flight Cancellations

Flight cancellations in the Middle East were heavily concentrated in specific locations, particularly Manama (Bahrain International Airport), where a single airline accounted for all 97 cancellations, and Riyadh (King Khalid International Airport) with 29 cancellations. Other impacted cities include Kuwait City, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Cairo, and Dammam, all of which recorded varying levels of cancellations.
Airlines most associated with cancellations include Gulf Air, Saudia, Egypt Air, FlyDubai, Kuwait Airways, and Pegasus Airlines, with Gulf Air appearing consistently across multiple airports as a key contributor. Cities such as Jeddah, Riyadh, and Manama appeared repeatedly as major disruption points, highlighting concentrated operational challenges in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, alongside impacts in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Kuwait.
Overall, while delays dominated the disruption landscape across Cairo, Dubai, Jeddah, and Riyadh, cancellations were more concentrated in Bahrain and select airline operations, creating a mixed but region-wide operational strain across Middle Eastern aviation networks today.

Source: Different airports and FlightAware