Credit: Saudia Cargo
Saudi Arabia has lost almost a third of its international air cargo capacity over the past three days, as Riyadh’s airport shutdown disrupts shipments and heightened airspace risks complicate routing options.
Rotate data captured today shows combined inbound and outbound capacity on freighters and widebody passenger aircraft across Saudi Arabia down 33% against the equivalent 72-hour period a week earlier, a decline of 3,537 tonnes, to 7,292 tonnes.
At Riyadh, capacity across all airlines, excluding narrowbody passenger aircraft, fell 99%, from 3,925 tonnes to just 26 tonnes.
The latest notice to airmen for King Khalid International Airport states that the aerodrome is unavailable, due to precautionary measures until 9pm UTC on 17 October.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said yesterday it had extended the suspension while authorities completed checks on the safety and operational readiness of airport facilities. It did not specify a reopening date.
Airline suspensions could prolong the capacity squeeze even after the airport reopens: Air France-KLM has suspended Riyadh services to the end of October; Etihad’s Abu Dhabi–Riyadh flights are cancelled until 19 October, according to Reuters; and Delta has postponed the launch of its Atlanta–Riyadh service from 23 October to March 2027, delaying an additional source of belly capacity.
Oman Air has confirmed that some Saudi-bound shipments are waiting in Muscat following cancellations.
“The KSA situation has so far mainly impacted some planned passenger flights into RUH where we have cancelled services in line with airport closure,” Mike Duggan, head of Oman Air Cargo, told The Loadstar. “We have a small amount of cargo waiting in MCT as a result.”
Mr Duggan said the airline’s planned Saudi road feeder service was still being developed, although continued disruption could accelerate its introduction.
“It has not impacted our RFS services so far, as the KSA element for our RFS is still in planning stage – perhaps it may give us some impetus to start sooner if the situation remains.”
He added that Oman Air Cargo had otherwise experienced limited impact to date and continued to monitor developments.
Forwarder Expeditors has identified road transport among alternative routing options for affected shipments. Its 9 October advisory noted suspended Riyadh services by Saudia Cargo and restrictions affecting several other cargo carriers, but did not quantify diverted freight or identify replacement gateways.
The disruption also raises questions for flights passing through Saudi airspace without landing.
EASA’s conflict-zone bulletin, revised on 9 October, recommended avoiding two defined areas of Saudi airspace at all altitudes, and exercising caution throughout the remainder of the Jeddah flight information region. It highlighted risks from missiles and drones, interception activity, falling debris, and the potential misidentification of civil aircraft during air defence operations.
Saudi airspace forms part of a southern Europe-Asia corridor through Egypt and onwards to Oman or the UAE, identified in OPSGROUP’s 6 October operational assessment.
Further avoidance could increase flight distances and fuel requirements, potentially reducing cargo payload on weight-constrained services.
For Saudia Cargo, the shutdown comes during a fleet expansion. Saudia’s international freighter and widebody belly capacity fell 19% over the past three days, to 7,410 tonnes.
Saudia Cargo carried 573,000 tonnes in 2025, approximately 0.8% below its 2024 total. Its partnerships to develop Asia–Europe connectivity through Zhengzhou and Riyadh could disrupt connecting shipments, alongside Saudi imports and exports.
Four new 777 freighters are scheduled for delivery between this month and May 2027, under a purchase-and-leaseback agreement with DAE, adding capacity just as the carrier faces uncertainty over operations at its key gateway.