Practical guide
Socotra flights: the current schedule
Yemenia flies Jeddah to Socotra on Tuesdays and Thursdays as IY525 and IY526, refuelling at Mukalla on the way back. Most fare quotes sit between $950 and $1,200 return.
Updated 6 November 2026 · Facts checked 6 November 2026
Schedule on 6 November 2026
- Yemenia flies Jeddah to Socotra on Tuesdays and Thursdays as IY525 and IY526, and flight trackers show operated flights on those two days only from 13 October to 5 November 2026.
- The return leg stops at Riyan airport in Mukalla to refuel, and passengers stay on board.
- Yemenia has filed different departure times on different dates and arrivals have run hours late, so take your times from your ticket.
- Since 8 October 2026 Yemenia departs Jeddah from the Hajj and Umrah Terminal, not the North Terminal.
The schedule right now
Yemenia flies Jeddah to Socotra twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as IY525 outbound and IY526 back. The service was filed to start on 29 September 2026 and runs on an Airbus A320, with the return leg stopping at Riyan airport in Mukalla to refuel. The filed schedule allows 50 minutes for that stop; most operators describe it as about 45 minutes and one says 1 to 1.5 hours.
For visitors that is the one practical route. Two others exist, Cairo via Aden and a domestic hop from Mukalla, and both put you on mainland Yemen. With two rotations a week, every other decision about a Socotra trip sits downstream of the Jeddah schedule.
The rotation as filed
| Leg | Flight | Days | Departs | Arrives | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeddah to Socotra | IY525 | Tuesday, Thursday | JED 11:00 | SCT 14:00 | 3 hours, nonstop |
| Socotra to Mukalla | IY526 | Tuesday, Thursday | SCT 15:00 | RIY 16:00 | 1 hour |
| Mukalla to Jeddah | IY526 | Tuesday, Thursday | RIY 16:50 | JED 19:00 | 2 hours 10 minutes |
Those are the times Yemenia filed in July, not what every flight does. Flight trackers show the airline itself scheduling the Socotra departure at 15:00, 14:45 and 15:35 on different dates this season, and several October flights reached Socotra hours after 14:00. Take your times from your ticket, not from this page or any other. Jeddah and Socotra are both on UTC+3, and passengers stay on board at Mukalla.
Since 8 October 2026 Yemenia departs Jeddah from the Hajj and Umrah Terminal, not the North Terminal. Most international arrivals use Terminal 1, but Terminal 4, the former South Terminal, is a separate building and the airport has not said whether arrivals moved on the same dates, so check both terminals the day before. Read Socotra visa before you plan that connection, because whether you clear Saudi immigration decides whether you need a Saudi visa.
Where the sources disagree
Two things on this page are not fully settled, and a page that hid them would be worse than useless.
- Frequency. The strongest evidence is what flew. Flight-tracking records show IY525 operating on Tuesdays and Thursdays only, from 13 October to 5 November 2026, matching the twice-weekly filing that AeroRoutes and FlyMag reported on 30 and 31 July 2026. Three sources say otherwise. Yemen's state news agency Saba reported three round trips a week on 15 July 2026, two weeks before that filing was reported; Against the Compass, updated 20 October 2026, lists one a week on Tuesdays; socotra.cz says once a week with a Thursday on some dates. Confirm your week with your operator.
- Season. The filing runs from 29 September 2026 and one operator publishes the schedule only through January 2027. Another lists the season's first flight as 6 October 2026 and the last as 22 April 2027. The dependable statement is the seasonal one: flights follow the October to April window, and the monsoon closes the rest.
Fares and baggage
Quotes on pages dated January to October 2026, plus one tour page for November 2026 departures, ran from about $750 to about $1,430 return. Most sit between $950 and $1,200.
| Return fare, most quotes | $950 to $1,200 |
| Lowest quotes read | $750 to $900 (Koryo Tours, July 2026); $890 (Socotra Travels, for November 2026 dates); $930 booked direct with a Yemenia agent (Saiga Tours, February 2026) |
| Middle of the range | About $950 (Against the Compass, October 2026); $1,050 (2Socotra, October 2026); $1,100 (Traveling Socotra, February 2026) |
| Highest quotes read | $1,200 for the last seats (socotra.cz, undated); $1,430 per person (Mzungu Expeditions, November 2026 departures) |
| Business class | $1,280 return (CultureRoad) |
| Checked baggage, economy | One bag up to 23 kg, per a third-party baggage reference. Two operator pages say 20 to 23 kg for this route |
| Cabin baggage | One piece up to 7 kg, 55 by 38 by 20 cm, same reference |
| Checked baggage, business | Two bags up to 32 kg each, same reference |
Yemenia does not publish the allowance anywhere we could read it, and no current source for the Jeddah flight states the 30 kg figure that still circulates. Two operators say only that checked luggage is included. Get your allowance in writing. For photographers this is the pinch point, and photography gear is where to decide what earns its weight.
How to book
Operators say the seat is not sold on booking platforms, and the usual path is through a licensed company that reserves it in your name against full prepayment, with no unpaid holds, and sends written confirmation. Yemenia's own agents do sell it: Saba reported bookings through the airline's authorised reservation system, and one operator quotes $930 booked that way.
Either way your entry authorisation has to move with the seat, which is why choosing a tour operator is also a decision about who holds your flight.
Two scheduling rules worth more than any fare saving: arrive in Jeddah the day before, and do not book an onward international flight for the evening you land back there. How to get to Socotra sets out the buffer in full.
What changed in 2026
| Date | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 30 December 2025 | A state of emergency closed the island's entry points | US Mission to Yemen security alert, 6 January 2026 |
| 2 January 2026 | Air Arabia cancelled the Abu Dhabi return flights most New Year visitors held | socotra.guide, Socotra Travel Update 2026 |
| 5 January 2026 | Hundreds of foreign tourists reported cut off, with estimates from about 400 to more than 600 | CNN, 5 January 2026; Reuters, 10 January 2026 |
| 7 January 2026 | Yemenia flew Socotra to Jeddah again | Socotra island account, quoted by TravelTomorrow, 12 January 2026 |
| 10 January 2026 | Evacuation completed: 609 tourists flown to Jeddah on four Yemenia flights | Reuters, 10 January 2026 |
| February 2026 | Jeddah became the only route, and Abu Dhabi was not reinstated | socotra.eu and Saiga Tours, 4 February 2026 |
| 29 September 2026 | Yemenia filed twice weekly Jeddah to Socotra on a Jeddah, Socotra, Mukalla, Jeddah triangle with an A320 | AeroRoutes, 30 July 2026, and FlyMag, 31 July 2026 |
| 8 October 2026 | Yemenia's Jeddah operation moved from the North Terminal to the Hajj and Umrah Terminal | The Islamic Information, 2 October 2026, and 2Socotra, reporting the airport's 30 September announcement |
The full addresses for each of these are in the sources list below. For what the January disruption meant for the people in it, read is Socotra safe.
The other routes
- Abu Dhabi. Air Arabia's direct flight is not operating for the 2026 to 2027 season. Treat any listing that still offers it as written before the change.
- Cairo via Aden. Yemenia sells this, at $1,100 to $1,195 return depending on the operator, with an Aden stop that operators describe as 12 hours or an overnight. It puts you on mainland Yemen and needs a separate mainland Yemen visa.
- Mukalla. A domestic hop exists, around $250 one way by one account, on the same mainland.
When the seats go
Operators publish the schedule two to three months ahead and sell against prepayment, so the constraint is seats rather than interest. November, February and March are the weeks to worry about, and operators warn that seats are limited and sell out, especially for March and April. Six to seven months of lead time is the working assumption for a specific peak week, and what the trip costs explains how the deposit covers the seat.
If a rotation does not run
The default outcome is that you wait for the next departure. Traveling Socotra calls cancellations for weather or operational reasons possible but rare; the January 2026 record shows what the other kind looks like, when the wait ran past ten days and the way out was four extra rotations to Jeddah.
What you can control: get your operator's terms on rescheduling and refunds in writing, and read this site's cancellation terms, which treat issued tickets as non-refundable, before you pay. Carry cash beyond the trip budget, because stranded days are unbudgeted and there is no cash machine on the island. Insure specifically for Yemen, including extended delay. And leave slack at both ends, which is the one thing that turns this from a crisis into an inconvenience.
Questions
How do I fly to Socotra in 2026?+
How much is a flight to Socotra?+
What is the baggage allowance on the Socotra flight?+
What happens if my Socotra flight is cancelled?+
Sources
- Trip.com flight status
Operated IY525 Jeddah to Socotra flights on Tue 13, Tue 20, Thu 22, Tue 27, Thu 29 October and Tue 3, Thu 5 November 2026 and on no other weekday; logged times include 12:17 to 19:57 on 13 October, 12:36 to 15:50 on 20 October, 11:00 to 21:36 on 22 October and 10:55 to 16:33 on 29 October
read 6 November 2026
- WhatFlyTime flight status
Yemenia's scheduled IY526 Socotra departure was 15:00 on Thu 15 October, 14:45 on Tue 3 November and 15:35 on Thu 5 November 2026, with the 3 and 5 November flights shown delayed
read 6 November 2026
- Mzungu Expeditions
The Jeddah to Hadibu to Jeddah flight ticket is 1430 USD per person, price may change, for tour sessions of 29 October to 5 November and 5 to 12 November 2026
read 6 November 2026
- TravelTomorrow
A Socotra island account posted on 7 January 2026 that a direct flight was operated from Socotra to Jeddah that day; several hundred tourists were stuck over the New Year
read 6 November 2026
- Traveling Socotra
Like any international flight, cancellations are possible due to weather or operational reasons, although they are rare
read 6 November 2026
- Wego
The airport has not said whether arrivals move on the same dates as departures; Terminal 4, the former South Terminal, is a different building from the Hajj and Umrah Terminal; Yemenia is among the airlines assigned to the Hajj and Umrah Terminal
read 6 November 2026
- AeroRoutes
Yemenia filed a Jeddah, Socotra, Mukhalla, Jeddah triangle routing effective 29 September 2026 on an Airbus A320, as IY525 JED 11:00 to SCT 14:00 and IY526 SCT 15:00 to RIY 16:00, RIY 16:50 to JED 19:00, on days 2 and 4 of the week
read 6 November 2026
- FlyMag
Twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 29 September 2026, Airbus A320-200, IY525 and IY526, Jeddah to Socotra to Mukalla to Jeddah, with a Riyan stop of about 50 minutes expected to support refuelling; Yemenia has no comprehensive codeshare with Saudia or flyadeal so connecting passengers may need separate tickets and to collect bags
read 6 November 2026
- Saba, Yemen News Agency
Yemenia's Jeddah to Socotra service was set to restart on 29 September with three round-trip flights a week, bookable through its authorised reservation system
read 6 November 2026
- 2Socotra
Twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Jeddah to Socotra 11:00 to 14:00 and Socotra to Jeddah 15:00 to 19:00, about 3 hours out and 4 hours back including a 45 minute fuel stop at Mukalla with passengers staying on board; ticket price $1,050; from 8 October 2026 Yemenia operates from the Hajj and Umrah Terminal Complex instead of the old North Terminal; allow 6 to 12 hours between your international arrival and the Yemenia departure; flights can be cancelled or changed
read 6 November 2026
- Socotra Advisor
Flights operate twice weekly, every Tuesday and Thursday, Jeddah to Socotra 11:00 to 14:00 and Socotra to Jeddah 15:00 to 19:00, for September 2026 to January 2027; booking is not available online and reservations are issued in the traveller's name and confirmed only after full prepayment, with no unpaid holds or waitlists; peak season for booking early is November and February to March
read 6 November 2026
- socotra.eu
Tuesdays and Thursdays only, October to April, with the island closed to flights May to September because of the monsoon; Jeddah 11:00 to Socotra 14:30 outbound and Socotra 14:45 to Jeddah 19:10 with a 45 minute refuelling stop at Al Rayyan International Airport in Mukalla; about 950 euros return for the Socotra leg; tickets cannot be booked freely online and can sell out, especially for March and April; the Abu Dhabi route was discontinued in December 2025 and Jeddah has been the only route since February 2026
read 6 November 2026
- Minimalist Journeys
The 2026/27 season's first flight is 6 October 2026 and the last is 22 April 2027; IY 525 Jeddah to Socotra 11:00 to 14:00 and IY 526 Socotra to Jeddah 15:00 to 19:00, twice weekly Tuesdays and Thursdays, with a stopover at Al Rayyan, Al Mukallah; seats are limited on A320-200s; Socotra flights are usually announced about 2 to 3 months ahead and March is the busiest month
read 6 November 2026
- Traveling Socotra
Jeddah to Socotra on an Airbus A320, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00 to 14:00 out and 15:00 to 19:00 back with a 45 minute fuel stop in Mukalla where passengers stay on board; roundtrip fare USD 1,100; the flight cannot be booked on the airline's website or public booking platforms and the operator reserves the seat and issues the ticket with Yemenia; flights depart and arrive from the Hajj Terminal, with international arrivals usually landing at the Main Terminal, and travellers with checked bags must enter Saudi Arabia and need a visa
read 6 November 2026
- CultureRoad Travel
Jeddah route twice weekly, every Tuesday and Thursday, Jeddah 11:00 to Socotra 14:00 and Socotra 15:00 to Jeddah 19:00, $1,100 return or $1,280 business, checked luggage included; flights expected to operate from October 2026 until April 2027 with limited weekly capacity; seats tend to sell out quickly; the Cairo via Aden round trip is $1,195 per person and requires an extra overnight stay in Aden and a separate Yemen visa; the Abu Dhabi route is not operating for 2026 to 2027
read 6 November 2026
- Against the Compass
Jeddah to Socotra is listed as one flight a week on Tuesdays, inbound 11:00 to 14:00 and outbound 14:45 to 19:10, at around 950 USD return; Mukalla to Socotra runs every Sunday at around 250 USD one way; the Cairo via Aden itinerary runs Wednesday and Saturday out and Thursday and Sunday back with a 12 hour Aden stopover that requires a separate Yemen visa; the Abu Dhabi route is not operating since January 2026; flights cannot be booked online
read 6 November 2026
- Baggage Policies
Yemenia economy passengers get one checked bag up to 23 kg, business class two bags up to 32 kg each, and carry-on is one piece of 55 by 38 by 20 cm up to 7 kg, with allowances differing slightly by route and fare type
read 6 November 2026
- Wild Socotra Tours
Jeddah to Socotra round trip is about $1,100 to $1,200, checked luggage is about 20 to 23 kg per passenger and carry-on about 7 to 10 kg with excess charged extra, tickets are not sold online and must be booked through a licensed local tour operator with prepayment, and the page advises booking at least 6 months ahead; the return stops at Al Mukalla for about 1 to 1.5 hours; the Cairo via Aden route starts at about $1,100 and the suspended Abu Dhabi route was about $1,000
read 6 November 2026
- Saiga Tours
Flights between Abu Dhabi and Socotra are no more after the January airspace closure stranded hundreds of tourists; the Jeddah return ticket is $930 when booked directly with a Yemenia Airways agent; the Cairo via Aden flights are $1,180 USD and require an extra visa to pass through Aden, with an overnight stopover in Aden on both the Wednesday and Saturday departures
read 6 November 2026
- Socotra Travels
Yemenia baggage on both Socotra routes is typically 20 kg checked and 7 kg carry-on, to be verified at booking; Jeddah seats are limited and early booking is advised; a Saudi transit visa may be required depending on nationality and connection time; the Abu Dhabi charters have been halted indefinitely, confirmed as still suspended on 29 January 2026; its calendar for November to December 2026 dates lists Jeddah to Socotra at $890
read 6 November 2026
- socotra.cz
Jeddah to Socotra runs usually once weekly on Tuesday, with some dates two a week with a Thursday departure; from 1,000 USD per person with the last seats up to 1,200 USD; IY 525 11:00 to 14:00 and IY 526 14:45 to 19:10; tickets cannot be booked online and reservation and payment require a licensed company from Socotra; weekly ticket numbers are limited; available dates run November 2026 to April 2027; Socotra flights depart from the North Terminal
read 6 November 2026
- The Islamic Information
Yemenia is one of seven airlines moving from the North Terminal to the Hajj and Umrah Terminal at King Abdulaziz International Airport, with Yemenia's move on 8 October 2026 and Sudan Airways last on 15 October 2026, announced by the airport on X on 30 September 2026, and each airline's flight date decides its terminal
read 6 November 2026
- US Mission to Yemen
The US Mission to Yemen reported a state of emergency on Socotra from 30 December 2025 and said Yemenia Airways would operate flights to Jeddah from Wednesday 7 January 2026, that it cannot provide consular services on Socotra, and that flight status may change with little notice
read 6 November 2026
- Reuters, via Yahoo News
Yemen completed the evacuation of more than 600 stranded tourists, with four Yemenia Airways flights carrying 609 tourists to Jeddah, after the United Arab Emirates withdrew its troops from Yemen amid a rift with Saudi Arabia, when air traffic at the island's main airport came to a halt
read 6 November 2026
- Koryo Tours
The Jeddah to Socotra return flight is roughly 750 to 900 USD and is not included in tours
read 6 November 2026
- CNN
Americans were among around 600 foreign tourists reported stranded on Socotra on 5 January 2026; other same-week reports gave about 400, so the page states a range
read 6 November 2026
- socotra.guide
Air Arabia cancelled the Abu Dhabi return flights on 2 January 2026, between 400 and 600 tourists were stranded, the route is not operating for the 2026 to 2027 season, and this site's published booking terms treat issued tickets as non-refundable
read 6 November 2026