Low-cost carrier flydubai confirmed on 16 February 2026 that, from 25 February, its four-daily Dubai–Riyadh rotations will relocate from Terminal 3 to the newly opened Terminal 5 at King Khalid International Airport (RUH). Flights FZ 843/844 will be the final services using the older facility that morning, with FZ 849/850 inaugurating Terminal 5 operations later the same day.
Terminal 5 is purpose-built for point-to-point carriers and promises faster boarding, an expanded immigration hall and a dedicated visa-on-arrival desk for UAE residents attending business meetings in the Saudi capital. The move echoes Saudi Arabia’s broader aviation-hub strategy and deepens connectivity between the GCC’s two largest economies.
If your travelers prefer to minimize airport uncertainty, VisaHQ can pre-check eligibility for Saudi visas and process any supporting documentation online, sparing them time at the new visa-on-arrival counters. Their UAE portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) also covers multiple other destination requirements, allowing mobility teams to manage approvals for side trips beyond Riyadh in one place.
![flydubai to Shift All Dubai–Riyadh Flights to King Khalid Airport’s New Terminal 5]()
Corporate-travel buyers should update duty-of-care dashboards: flydubai passengers will now clear immigration closer to the Metro station and ride-hailing pickup zone, potentially cutting landside transfer times by 15–20 minutes during Riyadh’s evening rush hour. Travellers using Dubai’s Emirates-branded codeshare (EK 2084/2312) will automatically receive updated PNRs.
In Dubai, flight timings, gate assignments and baggage allowances remain unchanged, but the airline has cautioned that its Riyadh check-in counters at DXB Terminal 2 will move to Row B to align with Saudi systems.
The shift is the latest in a series of incremental upgrades ahead of flydubai’s transition to the future Al Maktoum International hub in the early 2030s. For now, mobility teams should brief assignees on the new arrival layout at RUH, especially the location of on-arrival SIM and currency kiosks, to avoid first-time confusion.
Terminal 5 is purpose-built for point-to-point carriers and promises faster boarding, an expanded immigration hall and a dedicated visa-on-arrival desk for UAE residents attending business meetings in the Saudi capital. The move echoes Saudi Arabia’s broader aviation-hub strategy and deepens connectivity between the GCC’s two largest economies.
If your travelers prefer to minimize airport uncertainty, VisaHQ can pre-check eligibility for Saudi visas and process any supporting documentation online, sparing them time at the new visa-on-arrival counters. Their UAE portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) also covers multiple other destination requirements, allowing mobility teams to manage approvals for side trips beyond Riyadh in one place.
Corporate-travel buyers should update duty-of-care dashboards: flydubai passengers will now clear immigration closer to the Metro station and ride-hailing pickup zone, potentially cutting landside transfer times by 15–20 minutes during Riyadh’s evening rush hour. Travellers using Dubai’s Emirates-branded codeshare (EK 2084/2312) will automatically receive updated PNRs.
In Dubai, flight timings, gate assignments and baggage allowances remain unchanged, but the airline has cautioned that its Riyadh check-in counters at DXB Terminal 2 will move to Row B to align with Saudi systems.
The shift is the latest in a series of incremental upgrades ahead of flydubai’s transition to the future Al Maktoum International hub in the early 2030s. For now, mobility teams should brief assignees on the new arrival layout at RUH, especially the location of on-arrival SIM and currency kiosks, to avoid first-time confusion.
