KLM cancels all Dubai flights for the winter season

KLM will not fly to Dubai again until the end of March 2027. The Dutch airline has dropped its Amsterdam–Dubai route for the entire winter season, citing the volatile security situation in the Middle East. Flights to Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia stay suspended until at least 27 November 2026.

What KLM announced

KLM confirmed the decision on Monday 26 October. There will be no KLM flights to or from Dubai for the full winter timetable, which runs until 27 March 2027.

KLM's two Saudi destinations, Riyadh and Dammam, are treated differently. KLM has pushed back their restart once more, to 27 November 2026, but has not yet written them off for the whole season. Travellers booked to Riyadh or Dammam later this winter should therefore expect further updates.

Why the route is off

KLM points to the unpredictable situation in the region. The United States and Israel have signalled they may launch a new round of strikes on Iran, and Tehran has warned it will hit back if that happens.

The airline had actually planned a comeback. In late September, KLM said it would return to Dubai, Riyadh and Dammam from the start of the winter season on 25 October. That plan was scrapped on 10 October, after a deadly Houthi attack on an airport in Saudi Arabia that killed at least twelve people and injured around three hundred.

Other airlines are also delaying their return to Dubai

Lufthansa and SWISS made a similar decision the same week. On 23 October, the Lufthansa Group announced that Lufthansa, SWISS and Eurowings will postpone their return to Dubai until 25 November 2026. Lufthansa and SWISS had planned to restart on 25 October, and Eurowings on 1 November. The group pointed to the situation in the Middle East, and none of these airlines has flown to Dubai since March 2026.

Austrian Airlines, also part of the Lufthansa Group, plans to resume its Vienna–Dubai flights on 12 December, with five flights a week. British Airways plans to restart its Dubai flights on 3 November.

Some airlines are staying away much longer. Finnair has cancelled its Helsinki–Dubai flights for the whole winter season, until 27 March 2027. Wizz Air has cancelled all Dubai flights until 27 March 2027.

What this means for passengers

If your KLM flight to or from Dubai between now and 27 March 2027 has been cancelled, EU Regulation 261/2004 applies because KLM is an EU airline. You can choose between:

• a full refund of your ticket, or
• rerouting to your destination at the earliest opportunity, or at a later date that suits you, at no extra cost.

Compensation (€250 to €600) is a different matter. It is generally not owed when the airline told you about the cancellation at least 14 days before departure. It is also usually not owed when the cancellation results from extraordinary circumstances such as a security threat, which is likely how KLM will classify this decision.

Our advice:

• Check your booking in My Trip on klm.com or in the KLM app.
• Booked through a travel agent or tour operator? Contact them first; they handle changes to your booking.
• Keep all emails and messages from KLM about the cancellation.
• Travelling to Riyadh or Dammam after 27 November? Monitor your booking closely, as the restart may be postponed again.

Check what you're entitled to

Whether you're owed money depends on when KLM told you and why the flight was cancelled, and airlines don't always volunteer that information. If your Dubai flight was cancelled at short notice, or you've had another delayed or cancelled flight recently, it's worth checking.

Check your flight and claim now. It takes about two minutes, and we'll tell you straight away whether you have a case.