DUBAI, 12 October 2026 — Saudi Arabia’s Consulate General in Dubai and the Northern Emirates has arranged overland buses to carry Saudi citizens stranded in the UAE back home after waves of flight cancellations disrupted air travel between the two Gulf neighbours, consular officials announced.
The arrangement, announced on Saturday, gives Saudi nationals whose flights were cancelled an organised road alternative to commercial air services that remain severely disrupted following a string of attacks on airports in the kingdom.
According to officials cited in regional media, stranded citizens can register and coordinate their return journeys through the consulate’s emergency contact line. The consulate did not publish bus schedules, departure points or seat numbers, and travellers were advised to confirm details directly with consular staff rather than rely on speculation.
Gulf solidarity as Emiratis open their homes
The announcement drew an outpouring of support from Emiratis, who flooded social media with offers of accommodation, transport and other assistance for Saudi travellers unable to return home.
“Our homes are open to them,” one Emirati wrote, describing Saudi visitors as brothers in their “second home”. Another said Saudi citizens in the UAE should consider themselves among family rather than visitors. “Honouring a guest is a duty, but a Saudi is a brother, not a guest,” wrote Abdullah Al Mazrouei in one widely shared message, media reported.
The response reflects the depth of social and economic ties between the two countries, whose citizens cross the shared border in large numbers for work, family visits and pilgrimage.
Flights cancelled as Saudi airports face disruption
The disruption follows attacks on Saudi airports over recent days. Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport was struck on Saturday — killing at least 12 people and injuring more than 300, according to Saudi authorities — and again on Sunday, while the General Authority of Civil Aviation confirmed a projectile also hit the tarmac at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Sunday evening.
Airlines have sharply scaled back services. Emirates cancelled selected flights between Dubai and Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam on Sunday and Monday, while flydubai extended cancellations on its Riyadh routes until October 14, trade sources said. Etihad listed cancellations on selected Abu Dhabi–Saudi services through Tuesday, October 13. International carriers also adjusted schedules, with the Lufthansa Group suspending Riyadh services through October 16.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry has separately urged Saudi citizens abroad who cannot reach their destinations because of flight cancellations or delays to contact Saudi diplomatic missions for assistance.
What stranded travellers should do
Saudi nationals affected by the cancellations were advised to contact the consulate in Dubai directly for registration and transport details. Airline passengers were urged to check the status of their flights before travelling to airports and to consult carriers about rebooking arrangements, with further schedule changes expected as safety assessments of damaged airports continue.
