Mangaluru flyers stranded as Saudi suspensions stretch to Oct 24

Hundreds of travellers from coastal Karnataka are grappling with cancelled plans and improvised return journeys as airlines extend the suspension of flights between Mangaluru and Saudi Arabia until October 24, following recent attacks on Saudi airports and heightened security concerns across the region.

Suspended Saudi links hit coastal Karnataka hard

Published coverage from regional and national outlets indicates that flights connecting Mangaluru International Airport with Saudi cities such as Jeddah and Dammam have been halted after a series of attacks attributed to Houthi rebels disrupted operations at key Saudi airports. As a result, passengers who depend on Mangaluru for direct access to Saudi Arabia now face cancellations and significant delays in both directions.

Reports focused on Dakshina Kannada and neighbouring districts describe large numbers of residents from Mangaluru, Udupi, Bhatkal and Kasaragod who had scheduled journeys for pilgrimage, family visits, medical treatment and work. Many are either stranded in Saudi Arabia or unable to begin their trips from India, with the suspension window now pushed to at least October 24.

Mangaluru International Airport, located on a plateau outside the coastal city and serving as the primary international gateway for much of coastal Karnataka and northern Kerala, typically offers limited but strategically important links to Gulf destinations. With Saudi connections paused, travellers who would usually rely on a relatively short hop from Mangaluru are now forced to look at longer and more complex itineraries from other airports.

Local media reports highlight that uncertainty over when full operations will resume has become as disruptive as the cancellations themselves, particularly for passengers with expiring visas, time‑sensitive work commitments or ongoing medical needs.

Indian carriers extend Saudi cancellations to October 24

According to airline advisories cited in Indian media, Air India and Air India Express have extended their suspension of flights to Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam until October 24, 2026. The decision follows an earlier short‑term pause that initially ran only to mid‑October before being lengthened in response to the evolving security situation.

Travel industry bulletins tracking Air India Express operations indicate that its Saudi schedules, including services from secondary South Indian airports, remain listed as cancelled through October 24. Eligible passengers holding tickets issued on or before October 15 for travel in the affected period are being offered one free date change or the option to seek refunds, subject to each carrier’s conditions, according to publicly available policy summaries.

Low‑cost carrier IndiGo has also announced the cancellation of flights to and from Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah up to and including October 24. Coverage of the airline’s mid‑October advisory notes that customers are being contacted using the details provided at booking, with options to rebook or claim refunds where applicable.

Budget airline Akasa Air, which operates several routes to Saudi Arabia from Indian metros, has similarly prolonged its suspensions, keeping Riyadh services off the schedule until October 24 and maintaining a shorter pause on some Jeddah flights. Although Akasa does not serve Mangaluru directly, its reduced Saudi network limits alternatives for coastal Karnataka residents who might otherwise rely on nearby departure points in larger cities.

Umrah pilgrims and visit‑visa holders seek alternative routes

Regional coverage from coastal Karnataka highlights the particular impact on Umrah pilgrims and other short‑term visitors who travelled to Saudi Arabia on visit visas. With return flights cancelled, some groups have begun travelling by road within the Gulf in search of available departures back to India.

Reports from community and regional news portals describe cases of pilgrims and other travellers driving from Saudi Arabia to Qatar to connect to flights operated by carriers based in Doha, or exploring routings through Bahrain and other Gulf hubs. These journeys can involve many hours by road, followed by onward flights to South India that may no longer line up neatly with original tickets or group itineraries.

For elderly passengers, people with health conditions and families travelling with children, the added complexity of arranging cross‑border road transport, securing transit permissions and managing new flight bookings has increased both physical strain and financial pressure. Some travellers who had budgeted only for a short pilgrimage or family visit now face unplanned accommodation and transport costs while waiting for a viable route home.

Others have opted to stay in place and wait for direct services to resume, but the extension of suspensions to October 24 has left many unsure whether additional changes could follow if security conditions do not improve.

Wider network disruptions limit options beyond Mangaluru

The difficulties facing passengers linked to Mangaluru are part of a broader pattern of disruption affecting Indian and international airlines operating to Saudi Arabia. Coverage of the issue shows that carriers including IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express and Akasa Air have all aligned their Saudi cancellations around an October 24 timeframe, significantly reducing capacity into key cities such as Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah.

Regional aviation reporting from the Gulf also notes that some Middle Eastern airlines have cut frequencies or maintained partial suspensions to selected Saudi destinations, even as certain airports attempt to resume limited operations. This has contributed to a tighter market for replacement tickets, particularly on routes linking Gulf hubs with South Indian cities.

For coastal Karnataka residents, the combined effect is a shrinking pool of realistic alternatives. Travellers who might normally rebook from Mangaluru via another Saudi city, or shift their departure to larger gateways such as Bengaluru or Kochi with a Saudi endpoint, increasingly find that those options are either unavailable or severely constrained until late October.

As a result, some passengers are choosing itineraries that route entirely around Saudi Arabia, using Gulf or wider Middle Eastern hubs to reach India. While such options can restore a path home, they often involve longer travel times, complex connections and higher prices at short notice.

Passengers urged to monitor schedules and policies closely

Across the affected region, publicly available advisories emphasise that flight timings and resumptions remain subject to change as security assessments continue. Airlines are updating schedules and passenger notifications on a rolling basis, with many urging customers to reconfirm their bookings within a defined window before departure.

For Mangaluru‑based travellers, checking directly with carriers before heading to the airport has become essential, given that live departure and arrival boards may still display short‑notice changes. Passenger guidance from news and travel industry outlets also recommends reviewing refund and rebooking conditions in detail, particularly for those who may now need to start or end their journeys at a different airport.

Travel agents and tour organisers working with Umrah groups and visit‑visa holders in coastal Karnataka are reported to be coordinating revised plans where possible, including group transfers to alternate airports and assistance with documentation for transit through third countries. However, the pace of schedule changes and the limited number of available seats continue to constrain what can be arranged at short notice.

With the current suspension framework set until October 24, attention among stranded passengers now turns to whether airlines will be able to restore a meaningful level of service beyond that date. Until clearer indications emerge, travellers tied to Mangaluru’s Saudi routes are expected to remain in a holding pattern, weighing the risks and costs of improvised alternatives against the hope that direct links will soon be restored.