Asia Flight Cancellations Hit 1,062 as Riyadh Shutdown Ripples

A security crisis, not a strike, behind the surge

Airports across Asia and the Gulf reported 1,062 cancelled flights and 3,880 delays on October 11, 2026. Riyadh, Jeddah, Dubai, Mumbai, Delhi and Jakarta were among the hardest hit.1 The numbers came from a FlightAware snapshot taken at 2:41 pm ET that day, and the outlet that published it says its editors checked them by hand.1 The coverage points mainly to an escalating security crisis in Saudi Arabia, with weather in India and forest-fire smoke over Indonesia adding to the problems.1

Nothing in the reporting points to an airline strike or labour action. This wave was caused by missiles and the airline decisions that followed, not by walkouts. For passengers, that matters. Strikes are usually announced in advance and end on a set date. Airport attacks give no warning and come with no end date.

The numbers keep climbing

The most telling figure is the cancellation trend over time. The same daily count reported 671 cancellations and 3,479 delays in data taken on October 9.620 The next day's count was 812 cancellations and 3,794 delays.7 October 11 then went past a thousand.1

At the start of the month, cancellations were far lower. One analysis of FlightAware data for October 1–2 found 5,081 delays but only 277 cancellations across the region.13 Another counted 274 cancellations on October 7.17 Total delays have stayed in a range of roughly 3,000 to 5,000 a day all month.131416 Cancellations, by contrast, roughly quadrupled in about ten days.

The takeaway is that delays at this scale are normal for a crowded Asian network in monsoon and thunderstorm season. The jump in cancellations is what is new, and it is concentrated in Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh at the centre

The data shows clearly where the trouble starts. King Khalid International in Riyadh logged 454 cancellations and only 10 delays on October 11.1 That pattern means flights were simply not operating. Jeddah recorded 114 cancellations and 176 delays, and smaller Saudi airports such as Dammam, Medina and Abha also lost dozens of flights.1

Saudi airlines took the biggest losses as a share of their schedules. Saudia cancelled 186 flights, 36% of those listed. Flyadeal lost 40% and flynas 34%. The new carrier Riyadh Air cancelled 60% of its listed flights.1

The cause is a run of attacks on Saudi airports. Iran-backed Houthi forces hit the Riyadh airport on Saturday, October 10, and Saudi officials said at least 12 people were killed and more than 300 injured.21 The New York Times called it the deadliest attack in a Gulf Arab country since the US-Israeli war with Iran began in February.21 Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority, GACA, suspended operations at the airport until the damage could be assessed and the facilities confirmed safe.29

It was the latest in a series. Attacks on October 6–7 hit airports in Abha and Riyadh, and a strike on October 8 killed three Saudis, including a Saudia pilot.23 Newsweek described Riyadh as attacked for a fifth day in a row.25

Reported Riyadh figures differ depending on the tracker and the time window. Flightradar24 counted about 260 Riyadh cancellations and 219 delays on Saturday.28 The flight-tracking app AirNav Radar reported 266 cancellations.25 An earlier FlightAware count showed at least 225 cancellations over 24 hours.24 The higher 454 figure for October 111 most likely reflects the closure carrying into a second day. These counts measure different periods, not conflicting facts. They all point the same way.

How it spread to Dubai, Doha and Indian cities

The Gulf hubs absorbed much of the knock-on effect. Dubai International reported 57 cancellations and 215 delays. Doha's Hamad International had 18 cancellations and 105 delays.1 Emirates cancelled only 4% of its flights but delayed 23%. Flydubai and Air Arabia had delay rates of about 30%.1

That is what you would expect when a neighbouring hub shuts. Flights get rerouted, planes and crews end up in the wrong places, and departures bunch up. Gulf News listed Dubai cancellations on routes from Riyadh, Medina, Kozhikode and Astana.3 Etihad published cancellations on its Saudi routes running through October 13.3

Gulf News also cautioned that not every delay was linked to the conflict, since some had technical or operational causes.3 That is a fair warning when reading any single-day total.

India is heavily exposed. India is Saudi Arabia's largest bilateral aviation market, carrying large numbers of workers, pilgrims, students and tourists.26 Akasa Air extended its suspension of Riyadh and Jeddah flights to October 13.1 Air India Express suspended all 16 of its weekly Riyadh flights from Bengaluru, Kochi, Kannur and Kozhikode until October 14. Air India suspended its Delhi and Mumbai flights to Riyadh until October 15.26 Kochi airport confirmed cancellations on Kerala–Saudi routes and on some Doha and Ras Al Khaimah flights.1

The Indian delay numbers are a different story. Delhi recorded 242 delays and Mumbai 80, but very few cancellations.1 The reporting itself says the conflict does not explain those delays.2 Heavy rain warnings and possible thunderstorms around Delhi are a more likely domestic cause.1

Who is suspending flights, and for how long

Airline suspensions are now the clearest signal. Lufthansa Group, which includes SWISS, Austrian and Edelweiss, suspended Riyadh flights through at least October 16.2326 Singapore Airlines pushed back its planned Riyadh launch to March 28, 2027, the third delay for that route.23 Kuwait Airways cancelled its Riyadh flights on October 10, citing the airport closure.27 Pakistan International Airlines, Air India and flydubai had already pulled Saudi services after the October 8 attack.27

Delta's nonstop Atlanta–Riyadh service, due to start October 23, was under review.2326

The longer-term risk is in what the Houthis are now saying. They have warned airlines, airport workers and travellers to stay away from Saudi airports.22 They have also reportedly declared all of Saudi airspace a military operations zone, which would reach well beyond Riyadh to Jeddah and Dammam.23 European regulator EASA had already widened its warning on Saudi airspace on October 9.7 As of the latest reports, no one has said when the Riyadh airport will reopen.22

The likely outcome is that Saudi cancellations stay high for days rather than hours. As long as these warnings stand, foreign airlines will probably keep extending their suspensions a few days at a time.

Getting to the airport and through security

For travellers, the security angle now includes the trip to the airport as well as the wait inside it. After the strike, the Riyadh airport had heavy police presence, every entrance blocked and dimmed lights.22 Australia went beyond its usual "reconsider travel" warning. It told citizens not to travel to King Khalid International, to reconfirm flights before leaving, and to keep their time at the airport as short as possible.22 The US, UK, Canada and Ireland issued warnings specific to the airport.23

Delhi had a separate, smaller problem on October 10. Delhi Airport told passengers to allow extra travel time because of increased security and traffic restrictions around a Cockroach Janta Party protest at Jantar Mantar.31 Police warned of diversions at 30 points around the city. Entry and exit gates were closed at 45 metro stations from Friday night.34 Indian Railways cancelled 245 trains.31 Some outlets reported more security checks and rising last-minute fares on some domestic routes.37 Metro gates reopened late on October 10. Even so, the episode showed how political security measures on the ground can add delay before passengers reach check-in.

What this means for travellers

The coverage agrees on the main points: Riyadh's shutdown drives the cancellations, and Gulf and Indian routes take the overflow. Where reports differ is mostly in how far they attribute delays to the conflict. The more careful outlets point out that Delhi, Shanghai or Jakarta delays have local causes.26

That difference has practical consequences. A traveller flying domestically in China or Indonesia is facing the region's usual weather and congestion delays. A traveller connecting through Riyadh, Jeddah or another Gulf hub faces something different: open-ended disruption that no timetable can predict.

Passengers on affected routes should check their flight status directly with the airline before leaving home. They should ask for rebooking or a refund if their flight is cancelled, and keep receipts for any extra costs.1 Anyone connecting through Dubai, Riyadh, Jeddah, Delhi or Jakarta should allow extra time and confirm their onward flights.1