Cathay Pacific extends Dubai, Riyadh flight suspensions through January 2027

Skip to content Cathay Pacific flights to Dubai and Riyadh will remain suspended until January amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the airline has announced. A Cathay Pacific plane takes off from Hong Kong International Airport’s runway after the commissioning of the three-runway system on November 28, 2024. Photo: Airport Authority. In a press statement on Monday, Cathay Pacific said flights to the cities up to January 31, 2027, would be cancelled. Hong Kong’s flag carrier first halted flights to Dubai and Riyadh in March, after the US and Israel launched military strikes on Iran and killed its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The region has seen conflict since, with Iran retaliating with attacks across the Middle East. Other airlines have also suspended services to some destinations in the Middle East and rerouted flights away from regional airspace. In early July, Cathay Pacific said it planned to resume its daily flights to Dubai and its four-times-weekly flights to Riyadh from September. Cathay Pacific. Photo: GovHK. But in mid-July, the airline backtracked “in view of the latest developments” in the region, adding that affected travellers could rebook or receive a refund for their flights. Conflict in the Middle East is still ongoing, and the Strait of Hormuz – through which much of the world’s oil is transported – remains blocked. Oil prices soared last month, while US President Donald Trump said last week that Washington is considering renewed strikes against Iran after Houthi rebels’ attacks on Riyadh. Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. Hillary Leung is a journalist at Hong Kong Free Press, where she reports on local politics and social issues, and assists with editing. Since joining in late 2021, she has covered the Covid-19 pandemic, political court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial, and challenges faced by minority communities. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Hillary completed her undergraduate degree in journalism and sociology at the University of Hong Kong. She worked at TIME Magazine in 2019, where she wrote about Asia and overnight US news before turning her focus to the protests that began that summer. At Coconuts Hong Kong, she covered general news and wrote features, including about a Black Lives Matter march that drew controversy amid the local pro-democracy movement and two sisters who were born to a domestic worker and lived undocumented for 30 years in Hong Kong. More by Hillary Leung