Air India and Air India Express have paused their flights to and from Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam. If you're booked, here's exactly what the airline is offering — and how we'll handle the rebooking or refund for you.
Air India and Air India Express have suspended their flights to and from Saudi Arabia — Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam — from 9 October, in response to the prevailing situation across the Kingdom. If you are due to fly to or from Saudi Arabia with them over the next couple of weeks, here is what it means and what we can do.
What's happened
All Air India and Air India Express operations to and from Jeddah (JED), Riyadh (RUH) and Dammam (DMM) are paused from 9 October 2026. The airline has put a waiver in place so that affected travellers are not left stranded or out of pocket.
Who this affects
The waiver covers passengers holding confirmed tickets on Air India and Air India Express flights in and out of Saudi Arabia, where the ticket was issued on or before 15 October 2026, for travel between 9 and 25 October 2026. If that is you, you have options.
Your two options
A free rebooking. You can make a one-time change to travel to or from India through another operational Gulf airport — for example Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Bahrain, Kuwait or Muscat — on Air India's scheduled flights, subject to seats being available, at no extra charge. The rebooked travel needs to be completed by 25 October 2026.
A full refund. If your flight was cancelled, you are entitled to a full refund of the ticket.
How we'll handle it for you
If you booked your Air India or Air India Express ticket through Five A, you do not need to chase call centres or work out waiver codes — that is our job. Send us your booking and we will do one of two things: rebook you onto the best available routing through another Gulf hub, or process your full refund. A few Air India Express changes have to go through the airline's own call centre, and we will guide that too.
A couple of practical notes. Seats on the alternative Gulf routings are going quickly, so the sooner you tell us the more choice you will have. The window is tight — travel has to be completed by 25 October — so please do not sit on it. And if your trip is for Umrah or a family visit and your dates are flexible, we can look at simply moving the whole journey rather than squeezing it into the window. Talk to us.
Situations like this are exactly why it helps to book through a travel agent who answers the phone. If any part of your Saudi Arabia travel is affected, reach out — we will sort it.
