Etihad Airways’ notice keeps passenger and cargo service on its Abu Dhabi routes to Riyadh and Dammam suspended until Nov. 19, with four Jeddah flights listed for a Nov. 6 resumption.
The four services are EY601, EY602, EY603 and EY604. Etihad cautioned that its timetable could change and urged customers to verify their flight status.
By Nov. 6, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) had logged 129 confirmed incidents on its “Middle East - Highlighted (Confirmed) incidents” list, alongside 25 reported seafarer deaths. The list dates damage to the tanker Velos Sapphire to Nov. 4, placing the incident north of Qatar’s Madinat ash Shamal, about 50 nautical miles away. The record notes one seafarer fatality and no pollution.
For 2025, International Energy Agency (IEA) data put crude oil and oil-product passage through the Strait of Hormuz near 20 million barrels a day. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) August outlook estimated average flows at 4.9 million barrels a day in the second quarter of 2026, compared with 21.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2025. Those are estimates for separate periods, not a reading of Nov. 6 traffic. The IEA links the route’s limited alternatives to potential consequences for energy markets and the ability of households and businesses to afford energy.
U.S. President Donald Trump said at the White House on Thursday, Nov. 5, that he would soon decide whether to take further action against Iran. “I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to,” he said. Axios reported, citing U.S. officials, that Trump met with national security advisers and that the administration was weighing renewed strikes, continued economic pressure or a negotiated deal. Axios also reported that no new directive from Washington had reached U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) at that time.
