Flydubai and Air Arabia among carriers cancelling services after drone and missile attacks force airport closures.
DUBAI, July 14, 2026 — Thousands of passengers across the Gulf faced travel chaos on Tuesday after a missile and drone strike by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport. The attack forced the cancellation of multiple regional flights, including major schedules connecting Dubai and Sharjah to the southern Saudi city.
The flight disruptions followed a late-night Houthi bombardment on the civilian aviation hub on Monday. The cross-border assault came just hours after military strikes hit Sanaa International Airport in Yemen. While the Associated Press confirmed that no casualties were reported from the Abha airport strike, the physical safety protocols triggered immediate airspace and runway restrictions.
Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 revealed that at least 10 departures from Abha were cancelled between 11:50 AM and 5:55 PM on Tuesday alone. The cancellations heavily impacted Saudi Arabia’s national carrier, Saudia, which suspended three departures to Riyadh and two services to Jeddah. Low-cost carrier flyadeal was also forced to ground two scheduled flights from Abha to Jeddah.
The impact quickly cascaded into the United Arab Emirates’ aviation network. A review of flydubai’s operational scheduling confirmed the grounding of two outbound flights from Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 2 to Abha, which were originally slated for 10:25 AM and 4:05 PM on Tuesday.
Return legs back to the UAE were similarly wiped from the flight boards. Flydubai services FZ815 and FZ811, scheduled to transport passengers back to Dubai, were scrubbed. Sharjah-based airline Air Arabia also pulled the plug on its flight G9195, which was due to depart Abha for Sharjah International Airport at 2:25 PM.
Airlines have advised affected travellers to monitor flight statuses online and contact booking agents for rescheduling or refund options. Regional aviation authorities are continuing to monitor security protocols over the southern skies of the kingdom.
