ABU DHABI — Etihad Airways has extended the cancellation of all its flights between Abu Dhabi and the Saudi cities of Riyadh and Dammam until Saturday, October 24, and has also grounded four of its Jeddah services for the same period, the airline said on Monday.

The move means the Abu Dhabi carrier will not fly to the Saudi capital for two weeks after the October 10 attack on Riyadh airport. Qatar Airways, Emirates, flydubai and Air Arabia have also cut services to the kingdom as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia continue.

Etihad blamed what it called regional disruption. The Jeddah flights affected are EY601 and EY603 from Abu Dhabi and the return services EY602 and EY604, according to the airline's travel advisory as reported by Gulf News.

The airline warned that more changes could follow. It said "the situation remains dynamic and further changes are possible," Dubai Eye 103.8 reported, and urged passengers to check the status of their flights on its website before setting out for the airport.

"We apologise for the inconvenience caused by this disruption," Etihad said in its advisory, according to Gulf Business. The carrier said its teams were helping affected guests with their travel arrangements and that the safety of passengers and crew remained its priority.

Etihad had earlier cancelled all Riyadh flights until October 19 and suspended its Jeddah and Dammam services, before pushing the deadline back again.

Other Gulf airlines have taken similar steps. Qatar Airways has suspended its Riyadh and Dammam flights up to and including October 24 and reduced its Jeddah schedule from seven flights a day to four, The National reported.

Emirates cancelled three Dubai to Jeddah services, EK801, EK805 and EK803, on both October 19 and October 20, according to Gulf Business. It also dropped three Riyadh flights on October 19. The National said the Dubai airline expected its Jeddah flights to resume on October 21 and some Riyadh services to return from October 20.

Flydubai has cancelled flights to Riyadh, Dammam and Abha up to and including October 24. "Due to the ongoing situation, we expect some disruption to our scheduled operations to Saudi Arabia," a flydubai spokesperson told ARN News.

In Sharjah, Air Arabia has cancelled services to several Saudi cities, including Riyadh, Dammam, Abha and Taif. The National said no date had been given for those routes to restart.

The disruption reaches well beyond the Gulf. Oman Air has suspended all Riyadh flights until October 22, and Muscat-based SalamAir has cancelled its Riyadh and Dammam services until the end of the month, The National reported. Lufthansa has halted Riyadh flights until November 18, and Cathay Pacific has extended its Riyadh suspension to January 31, 2027. Delta Air Lines has postponed the launch of its Atlanta to Riyadh route, which had been due on October 23, to March 2027.

UAE carriers began cancelling Saudi flights after an attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on October 10. Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority said 12 people were killed and 309 injured in that strike, Dubai Eye 103.8 reported. Gulf Business attributed the attack to Yemen's Houthis and noted a separate report that put the death toll at 13 or more.

The airport was shut for more than a week as the attacks continued. It reopened on Sunday, October 18, according to The National, though many foreign airlines have yet to return.

The attacks have not stopped. On October 17 the Saudi-led coalition said it had destroyed four drones over Riyadh, the Eastern Province and the south of the country, as well as two ballistic missile launchers in Yemen's Saada governorate, Gulf Business reported. On Sunday the coalition's spokesman, Major General Turki Al-Maliki, said it had intercepted two ballistic missiles aimed at Khamis Mushayt and three drones over Riyadh and the Eastern Province.

Britain has also tightened its travel advice. In an update issued on Friday, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advised against all but essential travel anywhere in Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, Gulf Business reported. It kept its stricter warning against all travel within 10 kilometres of the border with Yemen.

Not every airline is staying away. Bahrain's Gulf Air said its flights after October 18 were operating as scheduled, The National reported, while British Airways plans to restore a single daily Riyadh flight on November 3.

For travellers in the UAE, the next decision point is the end of this week. Etihad, Qatar Airways and flydubai have all set October 24 as the date until which their current Saudi cancellations run.