Which airlines fly to Dubai right now? Fewer than you'd think. KLM said this week it won't fly between Amsterdam and Dubai at all this winter, through March 27, 2027, and it's pushed its return to Riyadh and Dammam to late November. It's the latest in a long line of Western airlines stepping back from the Gulf as the Iran war and Houthi attacks on Saudi airports keep the region unpredictable. If you're planning a winter trip to Dubai or Saudi Arabia from Europe or North America, the list of airlines that will take you there nonstop is now short.
Who's Sitting Out the Winter
KLM's decision stands out because of how many times it's tried to come back. Its Dubai restart has slipped from May to August to late October, and now to next spring. A KLM spokesperson told Dutch broadcaster NOS that the region is too unpredictable right now, and that a longer pause gives passengers certainty and frees up planes for other routes. Anyone booked is being offered a refund or a seat on another airline.
It has plenty of company. United has canceled its Newark to Dubai flights through late March. Air Canada has suspended Toronto to Dubai until at least the end of March and, for now, has no nonstop flights to the Middle East at all. Virgin Atlantic has dropped Dubai for the winter and pulled out of Riyadh. Delta was due to launch Atlanta to Riyadh this month but has pushed it to March 2027.
You can see how thin it's gotten in the schedules. On Wednesday's list of flights into Dubai, the only European airlines were Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, SunExpress and Aegean, according to flight tracking data. Riyadh's only scheduled European arrivals that day were from Turkish and Pegasus. No US airline had a flight scheduled into any of the six major Gulf airports we checked.
Who's Coming Back
Some airlines are returning, just more slowly than planned.
- British Airways is due back in Dubai and Riyadh on Nov. 3, with one flight a day to each.
- Lufthansa, SWISS and Eurowings have pushed their Dubai restart to Nov. 25, with fewer flights than before. Austrian follows on Dec. 12.
- Lufthansa is due back in Riyadh on Nov. 18, and Eurowings in Jeddah on Nov. 12.
- ITA Airways has Dubai suspended through the end of November.
- Air France has been extending its Dubai and Riyadh suspensions a week or so at a time, with no firm restart date.
Treat every one of these dates as a goal, not a promise. Airlines have extended these suspensions again and again this year, often with only days of notice.
Dubai and Saudi Arabia · Winter
| Airline | Dubai | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| KLM | Off until Mar. 27 | Off until Nov. 27 |
| United | Off until late March | No routes |
| Air Canada | Off until late March | No routes |
| Virgin Atlantic | Off for winter | Riyadh pulled |
| Delta | No routes | Riyadh launch moved to March |
| British Airways | Back Nov. 3 | Riyadh back Nov. 3 |
| Lufthansa, SWISS | Back Nov. 25 | Riyadh back Nov. 18 |
| Turkish Airlines | Flying daily | Flying |
| Emirates, Qatar | Flying | Some routes returning |
Contrail
Why the Gulf Airlines Are Still Flying
The big Gulf airlines are in a different position. Dubai is Emirates' home, and Doha is Qatar Airways', so they can't simply leave, and they've kept flying to Europe and the US through the disruption, though not at full strength. Qatar Airways, for example, cut some US flights this winter, with New York's JFK going from 18 to 14 flights a week. Emirates plans to restart flights from Dubai to Jeddah on Oct. 30 and to Riyadh and Dammam on Nov. 8.
The difference comes down to risk tolerance. European and US airlines answer to their own governments' safety regulators, and Europe's aviation safety agency is still warning airlines away from parts of Saudi airspace, citing a higher risk that civilian planes could be mistaken for military targets. The US government rates Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar at Level 3, "Reconsider Travel." For an airline flying one or two daily flights to the region, it's easier to sit it out than to risk a sudden closure with a plane full of passengers on the ground. Riyadh’s airport only partly reopened on Oct. 23 after deadly attacks earlier this month, and the US State Department warned again this week about potential attacks on Saudi airports
How to Get There This Winter
If you need to get to Dubai, your most reliable options are the Gulf airlines themselves, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad, or a connection through Istanbul on Turkish Airlines, which has kept flying daily throughout. British Airways and Lufthansa should be options again in November if their restarts hold.
Whichever airline you pick, book a fare you can change or refund, and avoid tight connections through the region. If you're booked on a suspended route, don't cancel it yourself. Wait for the airline to cancel, which usually gets you a full refund or a free rebooking, sometimes on another airline. And check your flight again a few days before you leave, because these schedules are changing week to week.
