Dammam Airport - Temporary Middle East Air Hub

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Until recently it was business as usual at the busy air hubs in the Middle East. However, that all changed at end of February 2026 when the region was plunged into crisis though an ongoing conflict in the region. Caught in the crossfire were the major airports, airlines of the Gulf countries, and passengers – both from the region and abroad – ended up stranded at airports such as Dubai International which sustained damage from drone strikes. It has led to the suspension of flights and the closure of airspace that has continued through the start of April. While some airports in the region are now operating at a limited capacity, the airspace of two countries – the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Kuwait remain closed.

While its counterparts based in the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have been able to resume limited flights at their own hubs, the continued closure of the airspace of Bahrain and Kuwait have led the national airlines of both countries - Gulf Air and Kuwait Airways- and Kuwait-based budget airline Jazeera Airways to launch a temporary hub at Dammam's King Fahd International Airport.  

Temporary Hub at Dammam

Image: Dammam King Fahd International Airport. Credit: Dammam Airports.

Following the abrupt closure of the airspace across the Gulf countries as the conflict started, Bahrain's Civil Aviation Affairs has continued the closure of the Kingdom's airspace as of the publishing of this article. As a result, Gulf Air shifted its operations of repatriation and limited flights across the border to King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. The airline would then announce the launch of roundtrip flights from Dammam to three cities – London Heathrow, Mumbai, and Bangkok – on March 15. 

Since then, Gulf Air has expanded the temporary network between Dammam and 17 cities including 5 cities in Europe (London, Paris, Frankfurt, Istanbul, and Athens), 3 in Africa (Cairo, Nairobi, and Casablanca), 4 in India (Mumbai, Chennai, Thiruvananthuram, and Kochi), 3 in the Middle East and South Asia (Lahore, Islamabad, Dhaka), and 2 in Southeast Asia (Bangkok and Manila).  

Image: Gulf Air Temporary Network via Dammam. Credit: Gulf Air

Facing similar challenges due to the closure of the airspace in its home country, Kuwait Airways launched flights to two cities – London and Cairo – in March. Since then, the airline has expanded its temporary hub operations at Dammam to 10 destinations. Following London and Cairo, the airline then added flights to Istanbul, Lahore, and Amman. By early April, flights have been added to four cities in India – Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Kochi – and Manila – the only route to Southeast Asia the airline has resumed so far.

Along with Kuwait Airways and Gulf Air, Kuwait-based budget airline Jazeera Airways has shifted its operations to Dammam and also Qasiumah–Hafar Al-Batin International Airport. According to the airline, it plans over 1000 flights to 22 destinations in 7 countries providing over 200,000 seats from the two temporary hubs.  

Image: Jazeera Airways Temporary Network via Dammam. Credit: Jazeera Airways

All the mentioned airlines are assisting customers with ground transport to/from Dammam. Kuwait Airways is the sole airline of the two that is assisting customers who need a visa to enter Saudi Arabia.

Close to Home

King Fahd International Airport is not as prominent of a regional air hub compared to likes of Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi, but amid the crisis the airport stands to gain from the situation. The temporary hub operations could help offset the losses from flight suspensions by other airlines to/from Dammam – which served 13 million passengers in 2025 - when all the numbers are calculated by year's end. It is a boost to the travel-related and ground service companies whose works are tied to the temporary hub operations.

For Gulf Air, Dammam is the obvious choice for an alternative hub located 80 kilometers west of Bahrain. It is around a 1 hour road trip along the King Fahd Causeway across the Gulf of Bahrain between Bahrain and the Dammam.  

Meanwhile it is a farther, 4 hour road trip covering 420 kilometers between Kuwait City and Dammam. Airports in Iraq such as Basra are closer to Kuwait. However, Iraq's airspace has also been closed since the start of the conflict with the latest extension effective through April 10.

The closest airport to Kuwait in Saudi Arabia is Qaisumah–Hafar Al-Batin International Airport located 269 kilometers west. While Qaisumah has a 3000 meter runway, its ground facilities are limited compared the bigger facilities available at King Fahd Airport. Of the three airlines mentioned, Jazeera Airways has elected to operate limited flights from this airport. 

Other nearby major hubs such as Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport and Doha Hamad currently are already serving the limited flight operations of airlines such as Saudia at Riyadh and Qatar Airways at Doha. In the case of Riyadh, it is further by 470 kilometers from Bahrain and 600 kilometers from Kuwait City. While Doha and Bahrain is geographically around 140 kilometers between each other, it is a four 4 hour road trip which will require passing through Saudi Arabia before crossing the border into to Qatar.

Opportunity Amid Crisis

Image: Aircraft parked at the gates at Dammam King Fahd International Airport. Credit: Dammam Airports.

As I write and publish this article, the situation in the Middle East is ongoing and the regions' aviation authorities, airports, and airlines are working to balance the needs to get passengers and crew home safely, while maximizing their operations given the current limitations. Airlines are still counting the losses from flight cancellations and the need to rebook and accommodate passengers. 

Despite the challenges, King Fahd Airport and Qaisumah are benefiting in a way due to the closure of the airspace in their neighboring countries. Though it also shows a level of cooperation among countries in the region that have competing airlines and airports. While Saudi Arabia has granted access for the flights by Gulf Air, Kuwait Airways, and Jazeera Airways, it is not an ideal situation for the three airlines. I can say I speak for most observers that we would wish they will be able to resume operations at their home hubs sooner rather than later. 

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