Cathay extends Dubai, Riyadh flight suspension through January as Iran war drags on

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has extended its suspension of passenger flights to the Middle East until the end of January next year, marking the third postponement since the US-Israel war on Iran began. The airline said on Monday that passenger services to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia would remain cancelled through January 31, 2027. “Affected travellers will be offered the flexibility to rebook, divert or refund their tickets,” Cathay said.

“We will closely monitor the evolving situation in the Middle East.” The carrier added that Cathay Cargo would continue to review the timing for resuming freighter services to Dubai and Riyadh. The extension comes after Washington recently rejected Tehran’s seven-day road map to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to say his country was ready for a “doomsday” war with the US.

Monday’s announcement marked the third time Cathay has delayed or extended flight suspensions to the region since the conflict broke out. On February 28, when a massive joint aerial bombing and missile campaign was launched against Iran, Cathay suspended all passenger and cargo flights to and from the Middle East. In early July, the airline announced plans to progressively resume its Middle East passenger flights from this month.

But in mid-July, Cathay pushed back the resumption to the latter half of October. In early September, it announced it would further cancel the flights until the end of November.