Saudi authorities have pushed back the reopening of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport until Saturday, while airlines have scrapped flights after continued attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis left the skies over the Saudi capital largely empty. The airport, the kingdom’s second-busiest after Jeddah, has been closed since a Saturday attack that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. Officials describe it as the deadliest attack in the kingdom in more than a decade.
The Saudi civil aviation authority said the suspension was needed to finish procedures ensuring the airport’s facilities are safe and ready for operation. A Notice to Airmen issued later in the day shows the closure running until 2100 GMT on October 17.
Attacks disrupt flights and leave casualties on the ground
A second attack on Sunday killed one person and injured close to a dozen others, adding to the strain on the capital’s aviation network. The incidents have been described as among the most serious disruptions to Saudi air travel in years.
Flight tracking service Flightradar24 showed aircraft steering clear of Riyadh on Monday, although planes continued to cross Saudi airspace and land at Jeddah on the country’s west coast. Aviation analytics firm Cirium said cancellations across all Saudi airports had reached 46.4%.
Airlines suspend routes and revise schedules
The disruption has pushed carriers in Europe and Asia to halt services. Lufthansa Group has cancelled all flights to Riyadh until October 16, while Air France-KLM has extended its suspension to and from the city until the end of the month. Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways has also extended its cancellations.
Delta Air Lines has postponed its planned Atlanta to Riyadh service, which had been due to begin on October 23, until March 2027. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration advised American carriers on Sunday to take caution when flying to or over Saudi Arabia. Earlier, the European aviation body EASA had widened its Saudi airspace warning, pointing to missile and drone attacks.
Experts warn of longer routes and rising risk
Mark Zee, founder of the aviation safety advisory group OPSGROUP, said the sustained nature of the attacks on civil aviation was unprecedented. He argued that the risk picture now needs to be reassessed and that operators must proceed with great care.
Zee also said that OPSGROUP has advised airlines to avoid the southern aviation corridor over the Middle East entirely, and to route flights between Europe and Asia across central Asia instead. He warned that this adds considerable distance on some routes and makes it harder for most western carriers to reach Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Aviation analyst John Strickland said the effects reach well beyond Saudi Arabia, touching the wider region and its international links. The attacks have also raised concerns that civil aviation could increasingly be targeted in armed conflict, at a time when the industry is already under pressure from regional fighting and higher jet fuel prices that are cutting into profits.
