Sunita Somvanshi
If you had a Cathay Pacific flight booked to Dubai or Riyadh, the cancellation window has just grown significantly.
On September 4, Cathay Pacific confirmed that its passenger services to both Dubai and Riyadh are cancelled up to and including November 30, 2026. The airline is citing the latest developments in the Middle East as the reason. Affected passengers are being offered three options: rebook on a different date, reroute through an alternative destination, or get a full refund.
This is not the first extension. Back in July, Cathay had already pushed back a planned return to both cities. At that point, the airline had expected to resume Dubai flights around October 25 and Riyadh flights around October 26. The September 4 update moves both of those dates past the end of November entirely. What was once a planned late-October resumption is now at least another three months of disruption.
The reason given in Cathay’s September 4 update is the broader Middle East situation — not a specific fuel shortage or technical problem. This is worth noting because some earlier commentary pointed to jet fuel as a factor in the airline’s route decisions. Cathay does separately update fuel surcharges, but the cancellation notice itself links the decision to regional security developments.
For passengers with existing bookings, the practical message is straightforward: do not rely on an old itinerary or a third-party travel site’s information. Check your booking status directly with Cathay Pacific using the most current information available.
The disruption affects an important route for the airline. Dubai and Riyadh are two of the busiest aviation markets in the Middle East, and Cathay serves a significant passenger base — particularly business travellers and South Asian diaspora communities — who use Hong Kong as a transit hub between Asia and the Gulf.
There is no confirmed return date beyond November 30. The next update, if one comes, will depend on conditions in the region.
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