Travel

RIYADH — King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh has only partly reopened, nearly four weeks after Houthi missile strikes on October 10. Saudi authorities said those strikes killed 13 people and injured more than 300. Reuters data cited by Dawn show 4,071 of 4,736 flights scheduled at the airport between October 8 and 25 were cancelled. Regular service has not returned. Foreign airlines have mostly stayed away. Lufthansa Group is out until November 18, KLM until November 27 and Cathay Pacific until January 31, 2027. Delta and Singapore Airlines have pushed their planned Riyadh launches to March 2027. The State Department kept Saudi Arabia at Level 3, Reconsider Travel, in an October 23 update. That update added the risk of further Houthi attacks. U.S. government employees need special authorization to use any Saudi airport. The Houthis have threatened more strikes.

DUBAI — Dubai International's seat capacity reached 7.2 million in October. That is 23 percent above June, according to figures in a Gulf News flight-status roundup published today. The recovery is uneven. KLM has suspended Dubai flights until March 27, 2027. Virgin Atlantic has no return planned before 2027. Luxair has pushed its comeback to February 2027 at the earliest. Korean Air has suspended service until further notice, and ITA Airways is out until November 30. Saudi routes are the main source of cancellations. Etihad has cancelled Abu Dhabi to Riyadh and Dammam flights through November 19, while some Jeddah services were due to resume today. The State Department rates the UAE Level 3, Reconsider Travel, in its October 23 advisory, citing terrorism and armed conflict. Gulf News advises passengers to confirm flight status with their airline before heading to the airport.

AL LITH, Saudi Arabia — Liveaboard diving on the Farasan Banks, a reef system in the southern Red Sea off Saudi Arabia, is entering its main season. Sources differ on the start date. Dive guides give anything from October to December, and most agree the window runs to about May. Booking guides describe November as a shoulder month. Hammerhead schools are building, mantas are active, and very few boats operate. Whale sharks are more reliable from December through spring, and hammerheads are strongest from December to February. Typical dives run 15 to 40 meters, often as drifts, and operators suggest advanced certification and at least 30 to 50 logged dives. Trips run 7 to 10 nights from Al Lith, about 210 km south of Jeddah. From Memphis the route is a connecting itinerary to Jeddah, then a road transfer of roughly three hours. One operator lists a Jan. 9-16 departure.

YONAGUNI, Japan — Hammerhead season is starting at Yonaguni, the Okinawan island nearest Taiwan, where scalloped hammerheads gather in the Kuroshio Current. Guides give different windows. Some say November to March or later, while local operators and a veteran diver's guide put the best period at late December to March, peaking in January and February. Cooler water is the trigger, and sightings fall off above about 26 C. The main site, Irizaki, is blue-water drift diving at roughly 25 to 30 meters, with sometimes very strong currents. One operator asks for Advanced certification and 150 logged dives. A diver who went this year reported a 50% encounter rate, and other divers said about 40% was typical. Reaching the island means a small plane from Ishigaki or Naha. From Memphis that is a multi-leg trip with at least one connection. Lodging is limited, so book it first.

ST. JOHN'S — United Airlines will resume daily nonstop flights between Newark and St. John's, Newfoundland, on June 24, 2027. The route last operated in 2016, and service will run through September. United will use a 76-seat Embraer E175. The published schedule has the outbound flight leaving Newark at 5:15 p.m. and landing at 10:01 p.m. local time. The return leaves St. John's at 10:30 a.m. St. John's airport said the route is made possible by United's joint business agreement with Air Canada. Its chief executive said that for 2027 the service is a single season, with hopes of expansion if demand holds. Travel magazine Afar points to humpback whales offshore, nesting puffins, icebergs near old fishing villages and the 29-room Fogo Island Inn. Memphis has no known nonstop to St. John's, so travelers would connect, likely through Newark. A passport is needed. Readers should check the State Department's current Canada advisory before booking.

CHISINAU — Polaris Airlines, a new Moldovan carrier, began scheduled flying this week from Chisinau International Airport with an Airbus A321. Its first route is Chisinau–Istanbul, four times weekly at the start. Aviation Week reports frequencies will rise to five a week in November and daily in December. Six European routes follow this month. Bologna, Prague and Verona start Nov. 18 at three flights a week. Milan Malpensa starts Nov. 19, Rome Fiumicino Nov. 20 and Dublin Nov. 21. The airline plans 10 more routes in its first six weeks. For visitors, Moldova is a small landlocked country between Romania and Ukraine, and the new flights add direct links from several European cities. It has no U.S. nonstop. From Memphis, travelers would connect through a U.S. gateway to Istanbul or a Western European hub. Because the country borders Ukraine, readers should check the State Department's current Moldova advisory and entry rules before booking.