Over 3,100 Saudi airport departures cancelled in a week

More than 3,100 departures from Saudi airports were cancelled or marked as not operating between 8 and 14 October 2026, leaving many travellers facing disrupted plans. The affected flights represent a large share of scheduled departures during the week.

Of 7,705 scheduled departures in that period, 3,129 were cancelled or listed as not operating — about 40.61%. Among the airports affected, مطار الملك خالد الدولي in الرياض was closed until at least 17 October 2026.

What travellers should know about refunds

There is no verified Saudi-wide fixed cancellation fee that applies to all affected flights. Instead, refunds, rebooking, assistance, and compensation depend on each airline's conditions and the applicable Saudi civil-aviation rules.

الخطوط السعودية states that, in specified cases where it cannot provide an alternative flight within six hours, it refunds the unused ticket value and pays compensation equal to 100% of the affected coupon value. Air Arabia lists a basic-fare cancellation fee of 200 ريال سعودي for permitted changes or cancellations up to 24 hours before departure, while basic-fare refunds are not permitted.

Travellers affected by a cancellation should handle the matter through the carrier's official website, application, call centre, airport desk, or booking agent. No أبشر, مقيم, قوى, ناجز, نفاذ, or توكلنا procedure applies to flight-cancellation refunds, so requests must go directly to the airline.

With a major Riyadh airport closure in effect, سعودي ليفنج advises residents and expats to confirm flight status directly with their carrier before heading to the airport, and to review their fare conditions carefully to understand their options for a refund or rebooking.

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