Published on August 29, 2025
Air recreation faced dense disruption this week arsenic Saudia, Emirates, FlyDubai, Air Arabia, and Etihad cancelled a full of 12 flights, creating ripple effects for passengers crossed Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pakistan, and China. The cancellations straight deed awesome hubs including Riyadh, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Sialkot, and Shanghai airports. These airports are captious gateways for millions of travelers each year. As a result, some home and world connections were thrown disconnected schedule.
Saudia and FlyDubai saw nan highest number of cancellations, while Emirates, Air Arabia, and Etihad besides grounded flights, leaving galore passengers searching for alternatives. Moreover, nan effect extended beyond contiguous routes, causing delays and missed onward journeys. In fact, nan airports successful Riyadh, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Sialkot, and Shanghai are now dealing pinch agelong queues, disappointment travelers, and customer work backlogs. Still, airlines are offering rebooking, refunds, and recreation assistance to easiness nan disruption crossed Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pakistan, and China.
Air travelers crossed nan Middle East and South Asia faced important disruption this week, pinch a mixed 431 delays and 12 cancellations reported crossed 5 awesome airlines: Saudia, Emirates, FlyDubai, Air Arabia, and Etihad Airways.AirlineDelaysPercentageCancellations Saudia 110 17% 3 Emirates 113 21% 2 FlyDubai 101 26% 4 Air Arabia 48 17% 2 Etihad Airways 59 19% 1 Total 431 — 12
Airports and Cities Affected
The recreation disruptions affected respective cardinal cities and airports crossed Middle-East and Asia. In Saudi Arabia, nan impacted airports included King Khalid International successful Riyadh, King Fahd International successful Dammam, and Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz successful Medina, covering some home and location routes. In nan United Arab Emirates, disruptions were dispersed crossed nan country’s 3 awesome hubs: Dubai International, Sharjah International, and Abu Dhabi International, each of which service arsenic captious transit points for world travel.
In Pakistan, Sialkot International was deed peculiarly hard, pinch cancellations and delays stranding galore passengers who trust connected Gulf connections. In China, Shanghai Pudong International was besides affected, pinch delays and cancellations spilling complete into world connections. Together, these airports successful Saudi Arabia, nan UAE, Pakistan, and China correspond a web of heavy traveled routes linking nan Middle East to South Asia and East Asia.
Impact of Flights Disrupted crossed Airlines
Saudia
Saudia recorded 110 delays (17%) and 3 cancellations, affecting routes betwixt Riyadh, Dammam, and Medina successful Saudi Arabia. Passengers flying domestically and regionally betwixt Saudi cities bore nan brunt of nan disruption.
King Khalid Int’l (RUH / OERK) | King Fahd Int’l (DMM / OEDF) | Thu 15:10 +03 |
King Fahd Int’l (DMM / OEDF) | King Khalid Int’l (RUH / OERK) | Thu 17:10 +03 |
Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz (MED / OEMA) | King Khalid Int’l (RUH / OERK) | Fri 00:05 +03 |
Emirates
Emirates saw 113 delays (21%) and 2 cancellations, disrupting schedules betwixt Dubai and Pakistan’s Sialkot. This near passengers successful some nan UAE and Pakistan dealing pinch missed connections and overnight waits.OriginDestinationScheduled Departure Dubai Int’l (DXB / OMDB) Sialkot Int’l (SKT / OPST) Thu 21:05 +04 Sialkot Int’l (SKT / OPST) Dubai Int’l (DXB / OMDB) Fri 02:50 PKT
FlyDubai
FlyDubai reported 101 delayed flights (26%), nan highest hold percentage, on pinch 4 cancellations, chiefly connected flights linking Dubai pinch Sialkot. Business travelers and migrant workers connected this engaged way were heavy affected.OriginDestinationScheduled Departure Dubai Int’l (DXB / OMDB) Sialkot Int’l (SKT / OPST) Thu 06:00 +04 Sialkot Int’l (SKT / OPST) Dubai Int’l (DXB / OMDB) Thu 11:10 PKT Dubai Int’l (DXB / OMDB) Sialkot Int’l (SKT / OPST) Fri 00:50 +04 Sialkot Int’l (SKT / OPST) Dubai Int’l (DXB / OMDB) Fri 06:00 PKT
Air Arabia
Air Arabia knowledgeable 48 delayed flights (17%) and 2 cancellations connected its Sharjah–Sialkot services. Sharjah, an important hub for fund travel, saw passengers queue for rebookings arsenic request quickly outpaced disposable seats.OriginDestinationScheduled Departure Sharjah Int’l (SHJ / OMSJ) Sialkot Int’l (SKT / OPST) Thu 23:00 +04 Sialkot Int’l (SKT / OPST) Sharjah Int’l (SHJ / OMSJ) Fri 03:50 PKT
Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways logged 59 delays (19%) and 1 cancellation connected long-haul operations from Abu Dhabi to Shanghai. This caused complications not only successful nan UAE but besides successful China, wherever onward world connections were disrupted.OriginDestinationScheduled Departure Abu Dhabi Int’l (AUH / OMAA) Shanghai Pudong Int’l (PVG / ZSPD) Thu 13:35 +04
What Passengers Can Do
Airlines are advising passengers to:
- Check formation position regularly connected charismatic websites and apps earlier walking to nan airport.
- Make usage of rebooking options and, wherever offered, petition refunds aliases recreation vouchers.
- Allow other clip astatine airports, arsenic customer work counters and telephone centers are experiencing agelong waits.
- For world travelers, particularly those heading to aliases from Sialkot and Shanghai, see replacement carriers aliases adjacent hubs specified arsenic Lahore, Karachi, aliases Beijing to minimize delays.
Summary
With 431 delays and 12 cancellations successful total, nan disruption underscores nan vulnerability of location hubs wherever galore passengers trust connected constricted regular services. The affected cities—Riyadh, Dammam, Medina, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Sialkot, and Shanghai—highlight really some home and world networks tin beryllium thrown disconnected equilibrium successful a short period.
Source: FlightAware
Image Credit: Emirates