What happened
LoyaltyLobby reports Air France has already withdrawn Dubai inventory through 19 November 2026 and shows no Riyadh seats until 1 January 2027. Official suspensions end on 11 November for Dubai and 12 December for Riyadh. Air France cites the security situation in the Middle East. The official Dubai halt was extended from 5 November. Inventory had briefly been pulled through 1 December.
KLM has already cancelled Dubai through the end of March. Air France keeps shorter official windows while inventory is gone further out, so it can delay rebooking while flights still show as operating. Free cancellation or postponement is available even when a flight has not been cancelled. EU261 has no security exception. Passengers can take the earliest reroute on another airline or a full refund. A 600-euro cash payment can apply if notice is under 7 days.
Award and paid space to both cities is already gone past the advertised restart dates, so holders can be stuck until Air France formally cancels and rebooks. Treat any Air France ticket to Dubai or Riyadh as cancelled, request a reroute or refund now, and keep a record of when notice arrived for a possible EU261 claim.
- Announced
- Nov 5, 2026
- Ends
- Nov 11, 2026
- Numbers
- 600 euro: EC 261 cash compensation that can apply after a cancellation
- 7 days: notice window for full EC 261 compensation if a close-in replacement is not offered
- Where
- Dubai, Riyadh
- Who qualifies
- Passengers booked on Air France flights to or from Dubai or Riyadh, including those whose flights have not yet been officially cancelled; EU261 rights may apply depending on notice and rerouting.
- Links
- Announcement Air France Near and Middle East disruption update wwws.airfrance.us
- Takeaway
- If you hold Air France tickets to Dubai or Riyadh, treat the flights as cancelled, request a reroute or refund now, and keep records of when you were told for possible EU261 compensation.