The map in October 2026
The war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 closed Gulf airspace for days in March and has never fully let go. The April ceasefire did not bring normal schedules back; Wego's running tracker calls the ceasefire framing "obsolete." Then, in October, Houthi attacks on Saudi airports opened a second front for airlines.
The good news first. Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Muscat are handling scheduled flights. There is no blanket closure anywhere in the Gulf. Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad are flying their long-haul networks, and Qatar Airways says the rest of its map beyond Saudi Arabia is operating.
The bad news is everything around the hubs. EASA advises European airlines not to fly over the waters of the Gulf in the Bahrain, Kuwait, Doha and Emirates regions except to land or take off, and to avoid the Gulf of Oman west of 58 degrees east. That is why flydubai reports longer flight times on some routes and why a Europe-to-Asia flight that once crossed Saudi Arabia may now run north over Turkey, Azerbaijan and the Caspian.
Saudi Arabia
This is the live crisis. Riyadh's airport reopened on October 18 after a week of Houthi strikes but remains under a prior-permission notice, and more than 20 airlines have suspended or trimmed Saudi flights, most through October 24 and several into November and beyond. Our Riyadh piece has the airline-by-airline list. Jeddah and Madinah are open with reduced schedules.
Israel
Tel Aviv is coming back faster than Saudi Arabia. United resumes daily Newark to Tel Aviv service on October 24 with a 787-9, according to AeroXplorer, ending a suspension that began in June 2025. Delta has said it intends to return without naming a date, and American has pushed its Tel Aviv return to January 2027. The Lufthansa Group airlines returned to Tel Aviv after May 31 under the schedule Argophilia published in March; British Airways still lists Tel Aviv among the routes where cancellations are possible.
Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Iran
The Lufthansa Group suspensions announced in March for Amman, Beirut, Erbil, Tehran, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Dammam ran to October 24. Riyadh and Dammam have since been extended to November 18 and November 30. For Beirut, Amman and Erbil, check your booking this week rather than assuming the October 24 restart holds; Lufthansa's own advisory is the only source that counts. Iran is a special case: direct Iran-UAE flights are suspended under US sanctions, and Wego reports a Tehran to Dubai journey can now take up to 18 hours with connections.
The US carriers
United's Dubai flights from Newark stay suspended until March 2027, and Delta's new Atlanta to Riyadh route has been pushed from October 23 to March 2027. American has not served the region's conflict-affected cities since 2023 beyond Doha. For now, the only US-flag nonstop to the Middle East that is actually scheduled this month is United's Tel Aviv return on October 24. Everything else to the Gulf is on Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad metal, or one-stop via Europe or Istanbul.
What you are owed when a flight is canceled
The rules depend on where the ticket was sold and where the flight departs, and Wego's refund guide is a fair summary of each regime.
On a flight to, from or within the United States, if the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you decline the alternative, you are entitled to an automatic cash refund: within seven business days for a card payment, 20 days for anything else. A voucher is your choice, not the airline's.
On a flight departing the UK or EU, or arriving on a UK or EU carrier, you may choose between a refund and rerouting, and the airline owes you meals and a hotel while you wait. War and airspace closures count as extraordinary circumstances, so the fixed cash compensation of up to 600 euros does not apply, but the refund and care obligations do.
Dubai added its own layer on April 28, when the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority issued a Consumer Welfare Directive. Passengers of Dubai-based carriers who are stranded get meals, communications and hotel transport for up to 72 hours even when the cause is outside the airline's control, and cash refunds are due within 14 days.
Two habits help. Read the cancellation notice before you click accept, because taking a voucher can close off other remedies. And claim from whoever sold the ticket: if an online agency charged your card, the agency processes the refund, however slowly.
Where the lounge fits
A cancellation at a Gulf hub usually means hours, not minutes. Qatar Airways' Al Mourjan and Emirates' Dubai lounges stay open around the clock, and both Doha and Dubai have Priority Pass and paid-entry lounges for passengers booked on other carriers; our Doha and Dubai pages list them with hours. If you are rebooked onto a long overnight connection, a shower suite is worth more than a meal voucher.
