Flights to Socotra
Dragon's-blood trees and a landscape from another planet, on one weekly charter from Abu Dhabi. Frontier tier, clearly labeled.
Quiet by design: caps, permits, or a price that keeps it that way. Plan further ahead; it will still be there.
Getting to Socotra
No scheduled jet service into SCT. Fly to AUH (Abu Dhabi International Airport) — 119 airports fly there nonstop — then weekly charter to SCT via operator.
Via AUH — Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the hub for Socotra: 119 airports fly there nonstop, then weekly charter to SCT via operator.
Show the 40 nearest as a list
| From | Airport | Airlines | Flight time |
|---|---|---|---|
| DohaQatar | DOH | Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways | ~1h |
| MuscatOman | MCT | Etihad Airways | ~1h 4m |
| BahrainBahrain | BAH | Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways, Gulf Air | ~1h 10m |
| DammamSaudi Arabia | DMM | Etihad Airways | ~1h 16m |
| RiyadhSaudi Arabia | RUH | Etihad Airways, Saudia | ~1h 37m |
| SalalahOman | SLL | Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways | ~1h 38m |
| KuwaitKuwait | KWI | Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Jazeera Airways | ~1h 40m |
| GassimSaudi Arabia | ELQ | Etihad Airways | ~2h 1m |
| KarachiPakistan | KHI | Etihad Airways | ~2h 12m |
| MadinahSaudi Arabia | MED | Etihad Airways | ~2h 31m |
| JeddahSaudi Arabia | JED | Etihad Airways | ~2h 39m |
| MultanPakistan | MUX | Air Arabia Abu Dhabi | ~2h 51m |
| KabulAfghanistan | KBL | Etihad Airways | ~2h 54m |
| AhmedabadIndia | AMD | Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways, IndiGo | ~2h 56m |
| BakuAzerbaijan | GYD | Air Arabia Abu Dhabi | ~2h 56m |
| PeshawarPakistan | PEW | Etihad Airways, Pakistan International Airlines | ~3h 5m |
| FaisalabadPakistan | LYP | Air Arabia Abu Dhabi | ~3h 6m |
| MumbaiIndia | BOM | Air India Express, Akasa Air, Etihad Airways, IndiGo | ~3h 7m |
| YerevanArmenia | EVN | Air Arabia Abu Dhabi | ~3h 8m |
| AmmanJordan | AMM | Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways, Royal Jordanian | ~3h 9m |
| DamascusSyria | DAM | Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways | ~3h 11m |
| IslamabadPakistan | ISB | Air Sial, Airblue, Etihad Airways, Pakistan International Airlines | ~3h 12m |
| LahorePakistan | LHE | Air Sial, Airblue, Etihad Airways | ~3h 16m |
| PuneIndia | PNQ | Air India Express | ~3h 16m |
| Tel-avivIsrael | TLV | Etihad Airways | ~3h 17m |
| SialkotPakistan | SKT | Air Arabia Abu Dhabi | ~3h 18m |
| TbilisiGeorgia | TBS | Air Arabia Abu Dhabi | ~3h 18m |
| BeirutLebanon | BEY | Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways, Middle East Airlines | ~3h 19m |
| JaipurIndia | JAI | Etihad Airways | ~3h 19m |
| IndoreIndia | IDR | Air India Express | ~3h 21m |
| DelhiIndia | DEL | Air India Express, Etihad Airways, IndiGo | ~3h 30m |
| ChandigarhIndia | IXC | IndiGo | ~3h 31m |
| TrabzonTurkey | TZX | Air Arabia, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi | ~3h 32m |
| SohagEgypt | HMB | Air Arabia Abu Dhabi | ~3h 33m |
| TashkentUzbekistan | TAS | Air Arabia Abu Dhabi | ~3h 33m |
| CairoEgypt | CAI | Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Egyptair, Etihad Airways | ~3h 38m |
| Addis AbabaEthiopia | ADD | Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways | ~3h 40m |
| MangaloreIndia | IXE | Air India Express, IndiGo | ~3h 46m |
| SochiRussia | AER | Etihad Airways | ~3h 48m |
| AlexandriaEgypt | HBE | Air Arabia Abu Dhabi | ~3h 52m |
Showing the 40 nearest of 119.
Routings from major airports
| From | Stops | Via | Door to door |
|---|---|---|---|
Dallas-Fort WorthDFW
| 2 stops | ORD → AUH | ~20h 38m |
New YorkJFK
| 1 stop | AUH | ~17h 34m |
Los AngelesLAX
| 2 stops | DOH → AUH | ~21h 32m |
MiamiMIA
| 2 stops | CDG → AUH | ~20h 11m |
ChicagoORD
| 1 stop | AUH | ~18h 24m |
LondonLHR
| 1 stop | AUH | ~10h 29m |
TorontoYYZ
| 1 stop | AUH | ~17h 41m |
Why it's still quiet
An island isolated so long that a third of its plants exist nowhere else — dragon's blood trees like upturned umbrellas on white dunes and limestone plateaus.
The friction
Yemen is at war. The island itself has been stable and tours run via Abu Dhabi, but check your government's advisory carefully before going anywhere near this one.
Background
Socotra, locally known as Saqatri, is a Yemeni island in the Indian Ocean. It is situated between the Gulf of Aden, the Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Sea, and lies near major shipping routes. The largest of the six islands in the Socotra archipelago, it comprises around 95% of the landmass of the archipelago. It lies 380 kilometres south of the Arabian Peninsula and 232 km (125 nmi) east of the Horn of Africa. The island is culturally and administratively a part of Yemen, but geographically it belongs to Africa, for it represents a continental fragment that is geologically linked to the Somali plate. The inhabitants of the island are called Socotrans, and they speak Arabic and Soqotri.
Questions
- Is there a nonstop flight to Socotra?
- Not by jet. The nearest airport with scheduled service is AUH (Abu Dhabi International Airport), then weekly charter to SCT via operator.
- Which airport do you fly into for Socotra?
- SCT — Socotra International Airport. Most travelers connect through AUH (Abu Dhabi International Airport).
- When is the best time to visit Socotra?
- Oct–Apr. Yemen is at war. The island itself has been stable and tours run via Abu Dhabi, but check your government's advisory carefully before going anywhere near this one.
- What does Socotra cost per day?
- Roughly $150–300 per person per day on the ground, before flights.
- Why is Socotra still quiet?
- An island isolated so long that a third of its plants exist nowhere else — dragon's blood trees like upturned umbrellas on white dunes and limestone plateaus.