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UAE-Saudi travel: Flydubai, Saudia cancel Abha flights after Houthi airport attack
UAE’s flydubai joins Saudia and flynas in cancelling flights to and from Abha airport after Houthi missile and drone attack attacked the Saudi airport late on Monday
- PUBLISHED: Tue 14 Jul 2026, 7:58 AM UPDATED: Tue 14 Jul 2026, 1:04 PM
Flights to the Saudi city of Abha from the UAE and other regional cities have been cancelled after the Houthi attack late on Monday.
According to Flightradar24 data, multiple flights were cancelled on Monday evening, and some were cancelled on Tuesday as well due to the renewed regional conflict involving Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
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Saudi Arabia’s national carrier Saudia's flights from Abha to Riyadh and Jeddah were cancelled, while budget carrier flynas' flights to Jeddah were also cancelled on Tuesday morning. Some of the flights scheduled to arrive in Abha on Tuesday morning were also cancelled from the kingdom's other cities, including flynas' flight from Jeddah and Saudia's flights from Jeddah and Riyadh.
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Flydubai flights
Meanwhile, Dubai Airports data showed two flydubai flights scheduled to depart from Dubai International Airport's Terminal 2 to the Saudi city of Abha at 10.25 and 16.05 on Tuesday, July 14, have been cancelled.
A flydubai spokesperson told Khaleej Times that flydubai flight FZ 811 from Dubai International (DXB) to Abha Airport (ABH) was diverted to Taif due to the temporary closure of Abha Airport on Monday, July 13.
“Passengers were provided with refreshments and ground transportation to their final destination. We apologise for the inconvenience caused to our passengers' travel schedules. Flydubai flights to and from Abha and Najran on July 14 have been cancelled. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will revise our flight schedule accordingly. We are in direct contact with passengers whose travel plans have been affected,” the airline said.
Yemen’s Houthis targeted Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia on Monday, hours after airstrikes on Sanaa airport.
"The Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a military operation targeting Abha International Airport, using a number of ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles," Yahya Saree, spokesman of the Houthi military, said in a video statement.
Saree, in his statement, warned airlines against flying into Saudi airspace “until the blockade on Sanaa International Airport is lifted.”
Tensions had been rising for days after the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia earlier this month of attacking an Iranian plane that landed in Sanaa and took off carrying the delegation.
The rebels had threatened at the time to hit Saudi airports and vital assets should Riyadh violate its airspace or attempt to attack it.
