Air France and KLM have both struggled with the restart of the Dubai flights that KLM has already canceled through the end of March, but it seems that Air France is now fully committed to beginning them on November 19, 2026.
KLM has officially canceled flights to Riyadh and Dammam until December 27, 2026, but has shadow-canceled them until January 4, 2027 (availability zeroed out until then). Air France claims to restart Riyadh on January 4, but there is no availability on these flights until January 11, 2027 (all fare classes zeroed out).
Air France’s Update:
Situation in the Near and Middle East.
Updated : 12 November 2026, 10:45am Paris local time
Air France is monitoring the developments in the Near and Middle East in real time.
Due to the evolving security situation:
Flights to and from Riyadh are suspended up to and including January 04, 2027.
Flights to and from Dubai remain suspended up to and including November 18, 2026.
Affected customers are being contacted individually.
Air France has availability on Paris-Dubai flights starting Thursday next week (November 19, 2026).
There is no availability on Air France’s Riyadh flights until January 11, 2027, despite their claim to restart the service on January 4.
KLM’s Update:
Last updated on Thursday, November 12, 14:00 (Amsterdam time).
Middle East region – Travel advice
Due to the security situation in the Middle East, KLM has adjusted its flight schedule in the region. We are closely monitoring developments and will update our schedules where possible. We are doing our very best to help you on your way again.
Tel Aviv: We will start flying to and from Tel Aviv again on Sunday, August 25. To make these flights safe and reliable, we will make a quick stop in Larnaca, Cyprus. Our crew will stay overnight there to rest. We always check the situation and adjust our flights to keep you safe and give you the best options.
Dammam & Riyadh: We have paused all flights to and from Dammam and Riyadh up to and including Sunday, December 27, 2026.
Dubai: We have paused all flights to and from Dubai up to and including Saturday, March 27, 2027.
KLM claims to restart both Riyadh and Dammam on December 27, 2026, but all the availability has been zeroed out on these two flights until January 4.
European Union Air Passenger Rights EC 261/2004:
Passengers booked on canceled services are eligible for rerouting on airlines that are currently operating, or, if you were only going to transit in Dubai or Saudi Arabia, to your final destination, bypassing the region altogether.
Note that the passenger can choose to be rerouted at the earliest convenience or opt for a full refund even on non-refundable tickets.
Note that if Air France or KLM informs you about their service cancellation less than 7 days before departure, the passenger is eligible for the EC 261/2004 cash compensation unless the passenger is offered rerouting that departs no more than 1 hour before the scheduled time and arrives no less than 2 hours later.
If you were informed between 7 and 14 days before departure, you are not eligible for the 600 euro compensation if the replacement flight leaves no more than 2 hours before the scheduled departure or arrives no more than 4 hours later.
Even past the 14 days, the airline is required to pay the compensation if they don’t rebook the passenger at the earliest convenience, i.e., claiming that they can only rebook you on select partner airlines.
There is no carve-out for this in EC 261/2004 rules.
Conclusion
Air France’s Dubai restart next week is close to 100% confirmed, but I would say that it is unclear when these Saudi Arabia services on KLM and Air France will return.
They’re both currently scheduled for early January.
Lufthansa Group has also delayed the restart of most of their Gulf flights until late March 2027 or later (read more here).