Air India extends Saudi flight cancellations to October 20; IndiGo and Akasa to October 24

Air India announced on Friday, October 16, that all its flights to and from Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah stay cancelled until October 20, according to an IANS report published by Telangana Today. The airline cited the evolving situation in Saudi Arabia and said safety and security are its highest priority. Passengers affected are being offered a full refund.

What each airline has announced

According to the IANS report and a separate account from Odisha Bytes, the carriers have set different end dates:

• Air India: Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah, until October 20, with a full refund for affected passengers.
• Air India Express: Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh, until October 20, with free rescheduling or a full refund, according to the IANS report. The Free Press Journal reports instead that the airline had no revised resumption date.
• IndiGo: Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah, until October 24, announced on Thursday, October 15.
• Akasa Air: Riyadh until October 24 and Jeddah until October 21, with a full refund or free rescheduling.

The end dates are for each airline's own operations, and Odisha Bytes notes that the reports give no reason for the difference. IndiGo's date also covers Madinah, which Air India does not list. The Free Press Journal says October 20 marks the period covered by the announcement rather than a guaranteed restart date, and Air India said it is assessing conditions before choosing when to resume.

How the dates moved

The suspensions have been extended more than once. On Monday, October 12, Air India extended its suspension of Riyadh flights until October 15, IANS reported through The Morung Express. The same report said IndiGo had cancelled Riyadh and Dammam flights until October 15, Air India Express had suspended Riyadh flights until October 15, and Akasa Air had halted Jeddah and Riyadh flights until October 13. By October 16 the Free Press Journal described Air India and Air India Express as having earlier cancelled Saudi flights through October 17, and Air India's suspension was extended by three days.

The reason given

The carriers attribute the cancellations to security concerns. The IANS report of October 12 said the move followed repeated attacks on Riyadh's airport by Yemen's Houthi rebels. It said Saudi authorities had kept the airport shut "for the time being" after the strikes and later security threats, and that the strikes had restricted parts of Saudi airspace. Reuters, republished by Ada Derana, reported on October 12 that the Houthis had claimed a missile strike on a departure terminal at the airport on October 10. The Houthis have repeatedly threatened airports, airspace and Saudi oil installations, Reuters said.

The reports read do not say whether any of the carriers has resumed flights, and passengers are advised to check flight status with their airline.