What happened
Air France has stopped selling seats to Dubai through 1 December 2026 and to Riyadh through 11 January 2027 but has not cancelled those later flights. Formal suspensions announced on 29 October 2026 run only through 7 November 2026 for Dubai and 12 December 2026 for Riyadh. LoyaltyLobby says removing availability usually comes before a cancellation.
Air France is notifying ticketed customers and will permit free cancellation or a later date even on flights that remain on the schedule. Flights that are unsold but not cancelled can still be treated as operating, which lets the airline decline a rebooking. Each official Dubai extension has added only a week or two. KLM has already cancelled Dubai through the end of March.
Award tickets and paid fares alike can remain unrebooked until a cancellation is posted, even though no seats remain on sale. Passengers can still choose the earliest reroute or a full refund under EU261, including on non-refundable fares. Cash compensation of 600 euro is possible depending on notice and replacement timing. Contact Air France now for a reroute or refund if a Dubai or Riyadh ticket is already in hand.
- Announced
- Oct 29, 2026
- Numbers
- November 7, 2026 date: official Dubai suspension through date
- December 12, 2026 date: official Riyadh suspension through date
- December 1 date: Dubai inventory removed through this date
- January 11, 2027 date: Riyadh inventory removed through this date
- 600 euro: possible EC 261 cash compensation
- Where
- Dubai, Riyadh
- Who qualifies
- Customers booked on Air France flights to or from Dubai or Riyadh, including those whose flights have not yet been formally cancelled
- Links
- Announcement Air France travel disruption page wwws.airfrance.us
- Takeaway
- If you hold Air France tickets to Dubai or Riyadh, contact the airline now to request rerouting or a refund rather than waiting for the next official cancellation wave.