Saudi Arabia has extended the closure of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport until Saturday following repeated attacks by Yemen’s Iran aligned Houthi movement, forcing airlines to cancel flights and disrupting regional air travel.
The Saudi civil aviation authority said operations remained suspended to allow safety checks and ensure the airport’s facilities were ready to resume operations. A notice to airmen indicated the closure would remain in effect until 2100 GMT on October 17.
The airport has been closed since an attack on Saturday killed 13 people and injured more than 300, according to the report. Another attack on Sunday killed one person and wounded nearly a dozen others.
The Houthis said late Monday they had targeted the airport with a ballistic missile. Saudi Arabia separately reported intercepting and destroying a missile fired towards Riyadh. The group also claimed to have targeted an airbase in Khamis Mushait with a drone, although Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed that attack.
The incidents have raised concerns about the safety of civilian aviation. Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that flight cancellations across Saudi airports had reached 46.4%, while flight tracking data showed aircraft avoiding Riyadh.
Airlines across Europe and Asia have suspended or reduced services. Lufthansa has cancelled flights to Riyadh until October 16, while Air France KLM extended its suspension until the end of October. Etihad Airways cancelled services connecting Abu Dhabi with Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, and Qatar Airways temporarily suspended flights to Riyadh and Dammam. Delta Air Lines postponed its planned Atlanta to Riyadh service until March 2027.
The US Federal Aviation Administration has advised American carriers to exercise caution when flying to or over Saudi Arabia. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has also expanded its warning over Saudi airspace because of missile and drone threats.
Aviation safety group OPSGROUP has advised airlines to avoid the southern Middle East air corridor and consider routes through Central Asia, potentially increasing flight distances and operating costs.
The disruption comes as Saudi Arabia faces broader economic pressures. The attacks have raised concerns over major business events scheduled in Riyadh this month, including the kingdom’s flagship investment conference and the WPC Energy Congress, where several senior oil executives were removed from the programme.
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