Flight disruptions continued across Saudi Arabia on Monday, with 362, or 34.54 per cent, of 1,048 scheduled departures cancelled or marked as no-fly due to Houthi attacks on Riyadh airport, according to flight schedule data compiled by Cirium as of 5.30am UAE time.
Monday’s figure was well below Sunday’s peak, when 623 of 1,096 departures, or 56.84 per cent, were cancelled or marked as no-fly.
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Cancellations stood at 385 of 1,194 flights, or 32.24 per cent, on October 8 and fell to 188 of 1,026, or 18.32 per cent, on October 9. They rose to 442 of 1,186, or 37.27 per cent, on October 10, before reaching their peak on October 11.
Across the six days, 2,018 of 6,608 scheduled departures were affected, accounting for 30.54 per cent of flights.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said on Sunday that the kingdom had faced fresh attacks, with King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh targeted again, leaving people injured. King Fahd International Airport in Dammam was also targeted.
The developments came a day after a deadly strike on Riyadh airport killed 12 people and injured 309, including Saudi nationals and foreign workers.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the fresh attacks, prompting condemnation from several countries and renewed calls to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.
UAE airlines and other carriers have extended flight suspensions to Riyadh in the coming days for safety reasons.
Dubai-based flydubai has suspended flights to Riyadh until October 14, while Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has cancelled flights until October 12 as airlines continue to monitor the situation.
According to Cirium, Saudi airlines bore the brunt of the disruption on October 11. Saudia cancelled 225 of 370 flights, or 60.81 per cent; flynas cancelled 146 of 206, or 70.87 per cent; and flyadeal cancelled 120 of 169, or 71.01 per cent. Together, the three carriers accounted for 491 of the 623 cancellations, or nearly 79 per cent.
Riyadh Air cancelled all 17 of its scheduled departures. Emirates cancelled all 11 of its flights, while India’s Akasa Air cancelled all six.