Cancellations across Saudi airports reached 46.4%, while air traffic avoided Riyadh and flights continued to land in Jeddah
TBS Report
13 October, 2026, 08:40 am
Last modified: 13 October, 2026, 08:41 am
Saudi authorities have extended the operational shutdown of Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport through 17 October to allow for safety checks and facility readiness following repeated missile and drone attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, the Saudi civil aviation authority said.
The airport was initially closed following a 10 October attack that killed 13 people and injured more than 300, the deadliest attack in the kingdom in over a decade. A subsequent strike killed one person and wounded nearly a dozen others, says the Strait Times.
On 12 October, Saudi forces intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile targeting Riyadh. Houthi forces claimed responsibility for the strike and a drone attack on an airbase in Khamis Mushait.
Flight cancellations and airspace restrictions
Cancellations across Saudi airports reached 46.4%, while air traffic avoided Riyadh and flights continued to land in Jeddah.
The US Federal Aviation Administration warned US carriers to exercise caution over Saudi airspace on 11 October, following an earlier warning from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency on 9 October.
Aviation safety organisation OPSGROUP recommended avoiding the southern Middle East flight corridor entirely and rerouting Europe-to-Asia flights over Central Asia. The alternative routes add substantial flight distance and limit access to major hubs such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Airlines extend suspensions
Etihad Airways suspended flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, with services to Riyadh halted until at least 19 October.
Lufthansa Group cancelled all flights to Riyadh through 16 October, while Air France-KLM extended suspensions of flights to and from the Saudi capital through the end of October.
Delta Air Lines postponed the planned launch of its Atlanta-to-Riyadh service, originally scheduled for 23 October 2026, to March 2027.
Business events face uncertainty
The disruption comes amid broader economic pressures, with Saudi Arabia's real gross domestic product projected to contract by 3.6% in 2026.
International gatherings scheduled in Riyadh, including the kingdom's flagship investment conference and the WPC Energy Congress, have also been thrown into uncertainty, with several top oil executives withdrawing from the programmes.