Gulf aviation disrupted: Dozens of UAE flights to Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia cancelled

Gulf aviation disrupted: Dozens of UAE flights to Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia cancelled

Passengers flying from the UAE to Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and several international destinations are experiencing widespread flight cancellations, with airport listings showing disrupted services across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and major Gulf hubs on July 22.

The disruptions stem from ongoing airspace restrictions across the region. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued Conflict Zone Information Bulletin CZIB-2026-07 on July 14, advising airlines to avoid the airspace of UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait at all altitudes until at least July 29. Kuwait has extended its own restrictions through August 4, prohibiting overflights through its airspace and permitting only arrivals and departures with prior approval.

Flights operated by Emirates, Etihad Airways, flydubai, Air Arabia, Saudia, Gulf Air and several international carriers are among those listed as cancelled. Passengers are advised to check their flight status directly with airlines before travelling to the airport, as schedules remain subject to change.

UAE airports report multiple cancellations

Dubai International Airport, which handled 95.2 million passengers in 2025 and set a record for the highest annual international passenger traffic ever recorded by any airport, showed cancellations on routes linking the city with Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Nepal, France, Austria and Uzbekistan.

Cancelled arrivals from Bahrain included flydubai flights FZ24, FZ22 and FZ28, along with Emirates flight EK840. Emirates flight EK858 from Kuwait was also cancelled. Other cancelled arrivals included flydubai flight FZ834 from Jizan, FZ40 from Salalah and FZ1596 from Kathmandu, along with Air France flight AF662 from Paris.

Departures from Dubai included flydubai flight FZ833 to Jizan, FZ1595 to Kathmandu, FZ39 to Salalah, FZ21 and FZ29 to Bahrain, and FZ1941 to Tashkent. Emirates, which operates approximately 260 aircraft serving more than 150 cities in 80 countries, cancelled flights EK857 to Kuwait, EK839 to Bahrain, EK821 to Dammam and EK125 to Vienna.

Abu Dhabi airport listings showed Etihad Airways flight EY654 from Kuwait as cancelled. The corresponding outbound service, EY653 from Abu Dhabi to Kuwait, was also listed as cancelled at Kuwait International Airport.

Saudi Arabia sees extensive disruptions

Riyadh airport listings showed 21 cancelled arrivals and departures involving Jizan, Najran, Bahrain and Kuwait. The previous day, on July 21, Saudi Arabian airports had accounted for nearly 70% of all regional cancellations, with 128 of 185 grounded flights across the Middle East.

Saudia flights from Jizan to Riyadh listed as cancelled included SV1764, SV1806 and SV1786, while affected services from Najran included SV1842, SV1864, SV1854, SV1852 and SV1848. Cancelled international arrivals included Gulf Air flight GF189 from Bahrain, Saudia flight SV521 from Bahrain and SV511 from Kuwait.

Departures from Riyadh included Saudia flights SV1805, SV1807 and SV1787 to Jizan, along with SV1865, SV1855, SV1853 and SV1849 to Najran. Saudia flight SV520 to Bahrain and SV510 to Kuwait were also cancelled, along with Gulf Air flight GF190 to Bahrain.

Jeddah airport reported six cancellations involving Jizan and Najran. Arrivals SV1767 and SV1769 from Jizan and SV1851 from Najran were cancelled, while departures SV1766 and SV1768 to Jizan and SV1850 to Najran were also affected.

Bahrain International Airport faces widespread cancellations

Bahrain International Airport reported cancellations across services connecting the country with Dubai, Sharjah, Riyadh, Kuwait, Doha, India and Istanbul. The airport had previously experienced disruptions on June 3, when Bahrain temporarily closed its airspace after intercepting Iranian missiles and drones, forcing airlines to take longer routes around the Gulf.

Cancelled flydubai arrivals from Dubai included FZ23, FZ21, FZ27 and FZ29. Return services FZ24, FZ22 and FZ28 to Dubai were also listed as cancelled. Emirates flight EK839 from Dubai and its return service EK840 were cancelled, while Air Arabia flights G9105 from Sharjah and G9106 to Sharjah were also affected.

Air India Express cancelled IX471 and IX472 between Bahrain and Kochi, along with IX369 and IX370 between Bahrain and Kozhikode. Qatar Airways flights QR1102 and QR1103 between Doha and Bahrain were cancelled, while Jazeera Airways flights J9101 and J9102 between Kuwait and Bahrain were also listed as cancelled.

Pegasus flight PC824 from Istanbul was cancelled, along with Saudia flights SV520 and SV521 between Riyadh and Bahrain and Gulf Air flights GF189 and GF190 on the same route.

Kuwait reports extensive service disruptions

Kuwait International Airport reported cancellations involving Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Riyadh, Bahrain, Doha, India, Istanbul and Mumbai. Etihad Airways flights EY653 and EY654 between Abu Dhabi and Kuwait were cancelled.

Emirates flights EK857 from Dubai and EK858 to Dubai were also listed as cancelled, along with Air Arabia flights G9121 from Sharjah and G9122 to Sharjah. Saudia flights SV510 and SV511 between Riyadh and Kuwait were cancelled, while Jazeera Airways flights J9101 and J9102 between Kuwait and Bahrain were also affected.

Other cancellations included Air India Express flights IX393 and IX394 between Kuwait and Kozhikode, Qatar Airways flights QR1082 and QR1083 between Doha and Kuwait, Pegasus flight PC859 to Istanbul and Kuwait Airways flight KU301 to Mumbai.

Regional context and international airline response

The flight disruptions are part of a broader regional aviation crisis. On July 14, airspace closures and security-related flight rerouting resulted in 493 flight cancellations and 5,387 flight delays across Asian and Gulf aviation networks, affecting major hubs including Dubai, Shanghai, Riyadh and Mumbai.

Several major international airlines have extended suspensions of flights to Gulf destinations due to ongoing airspace restrictions. Singapore Airlines has cancelled flights to Dubai until October 24, while KLM suspended services to Riyadh, Dammam and Dubai until August 9. Lufthansa and Swiss have suspended Dubai flights until September 13, and Finnair has cancelled services to Doha and Dubai until October 2.

Royal Jordanian cancellations at Queen Alia International Airport included RJ673 from Bahrain and RJ827 and RJ821 from Erbil. Flight RJ820 from Amman to Erbil was also listed as cancelled.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which about 25% of the world's seaborne oil trade and 20% of global liquefied natural gas passes, remains a critical factor in the regional situation affecting both maritime and aviation routes in the Gulf.