Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has cancelled its Kathmandu-Dammam-Kathmandu flights scheduled for Kartik 7, citing the ongoing security situation in Saudi Arabia. The national flag carrier announced the decision on October 22, 2026, saying that both the outbound and return sectors of the route were called off with priority given to passenger safety. The move affects travellers booked on the direct service linking Kathmandu with Dammam, a major city in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province and one of the key destinations for Nepali migrant workers in the Gulf kingdom.
Both Sectors of the Route Called Off
According to the corporation's announcement, two flights were affected by the decision: the Kathmandu-Dammam sector and the Dammam-Kathmandu sector, both scheduled for Kartik 7 of the current Nepali calendar year. The corporation attributed the cancellation entirely to the security situation prevailing in Saudi Arabia, where the flights were due to operate.
The key details of the announcement are as follows:
- Airline: Nepal Airlines Corporation, Nepal's national flag carrier
- Route: Kathmandu-Dammam-Kathmandu
- Affected date: Kartik 7
- Announcement date: October 22, 2026
- Stated reason: the ongoing security situation in Saudi Arabia
- Stated priority: passenger safety
News of the cancellation was carried by Nepali media outlets, including Nepal Press and Global Aawaj, both of which cited the corporation's announcement of the cancelled service.
Passenger Safety Cited as the Deciding Factor
In announcing the cancellation, the corporation said the Kathmandu-Dammam and Dammam-Kathmandu flights were called off with priority given to the safety of passengers. The statement, however, did not elaborate on the specific nature of the security situation in Saudi Arabia, nor did it describe the particular concerns that prompted the decision to ground the service for the day.
Equally significant is what the announcement left unstated. As of October 22, 2026, Nepal Airlines had not indicated when services on the Dammam route would resume, or whether the cancellation would be extended to flights scheduled beyond Kartik 7. The corporation also did not release details regarding rebooking, refunds or alternative travel arrangements for passengers who held tickets for the affected sectors.
For passengers booked on the cancelled flights, the announcement leaves open questions about onward travel plans. This is particularly relevant for those scheduled to travel to the Eastern Province for employment, as well as for travellers who may have been connecting through Dammam to other destinations within Saudi Arabia.
A Key Corridor for Nepali Migrant Workers
Dammam serves as the administrative centre of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, a region known for the kingdom's oil, petrochemical and logistics industries. The wider area hosts a large expatriate workforce, and Nepali workers have long been part of it. Saudi Arabia remains one of the most popular destinations for Nepali labour migration, with hundreds of thousands of Nepalis having travelled to the kingdom over the years for employment in construction, manufacturing, services and other sectors.
Direct air connections such as the Kathmandu-Dammam service play an important role along this corridor. The route carries first-time workers heading to jobs in the kingdom as well as those returning home, making any disruption to the schedule a matter of immediate concern for migrant workers and their families.
Nepal Airlines, as the national flag carrier, operates scheduled international services connecting Kathmandu with destinations in the Gulf, where a significant share of overseas passenger traffic is generated by labour migration. Cancellations on such routes, even for a single day, can therefore have a ripple effect on travel plans across the Nepal-Gulf corridor.
What Comes Next
At the time of the announcement, the corporation had not said whether additional flights on the Kathmandu-Dammam route would be affected in the coming days. Travellers planning to fly on the route are expected to follow the corporation's further updates regarding the status of upcoming flights and any arrangements for those booked on the cancelled sectors.
Any resumption of normal service on the route had not been announced as of the October 22 statement. With the security situation in Saudi Arabia cited as the reason for the cancellation, further decisions on the Dammam flights are likely to follow developments on the ground in the kingdom. For now, the corporation's message to passengers is clear: the Kartik 7 flights in both directions stand cancelled, and safety remains the guiding consideration behind the decision.
