Air France suspends Gulf flights to Riyadh and Dubai this winter

As seen on the 24/7 Wall St. homepage on October 29, 2026.

Riyadh stays dark through December 12, six weeks longer than the Dubai pause, meaning carriers are now writing Gulf risk into entire winter schedules. Those long-haul routes are among Europe's most profitable.

AIR FRANCE SAYS FLIGHTS TO AND FROM RIYADH ARE SUSPENDED UNTIL DEC 12, 2026 AIR FRANCE SAYS FLIGHTS TO AND FROM DUBAI ARE SUSPENDED UNTIL NOV 7, 2026
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Air France has grounded all flights to and from Riyadh until December 12, 2026, while the suspension on Dubai routes ends earlier. The Saudi capital stays offline for the entirety of the peak winter travel period.

The gap between those two end dates matters because it shows carriers are not applying a single blanket policy across the Gulf. Riyadh is being treated as a distinctly higher-risk destination, and that distinction is now baked into Air France's published winter schedule.

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Long-haul Gulf routes are among the most profitable in European aviation, carrying premium leisure and business travelers in both directions. A suspension that stretches into December cuts into the heart of that high-yield season.

Investors watching European airline exposure to the Middle East will want to track whether other carriers follow with matching suspension windows, and whether Air France extends either date as December approaches.