Saudi authorities have extended the closure of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport until Saturday following continued attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement, forcing airlines to cancel flights and reroute services.
The Saudi civil aviation authority said operations at the kingdom’s second-busiest airport after Jeddah had been suspended to allow safety procedures and checks on the operational readiness of its facilities.
A Notice to Airmen issued on Monday indicated that the airport would remain closed until 2100 GMT on October 17.
Late on Monday, the Houthis said they had targeted the airport with a ballistic missile, shortly after Saudi Arabia announced that it had intercepted and destroyed a missile fired towards Riyadh.
The group also claimed to have targeted an airbase in Khamis Mushait, in southwestern Saudi Arabia, with a drone. Saudi authorities had not immediately confirmed the reported attack.
The airport has been closed since an attack on Saturday that killed 13 people and injured more than 300, in what was reported as the kingdom’s deadliest such incident in more than a decade. Another attack on Sunday killed one person and injured nearly a dozen others.
The attacks have caused significant disruption to Saudi aviation, with airlines across Europe and Asia suspending services. Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that flight cancellations across Saudi airports had reached 46.4 per cent.
The United States Federal Aviation Administration advised American carriers on Sunday to exercise caution when flying to or over Saudi Arabia, while the European Union Aviation Safety Agency expanded its warning on Saudi airspace, citing missile and drone threats.
Mark Zee, founder of aviation safety advisory organisation OPSGROUP, described the sustained attacks on civil aviation as unprecedented and urged airlines to reassess the risks.
Air traffic tracking service Flightradar24 showed aircraft avoiding Riyadh on Monday, although flights continued across Saudi airspace and into Jeddah, the kingdom’s main aviation hub on the western coast.
Several international airlines have suspended or adjusted their services. Lufthansa Group cancelled all flights to Riyadh until October 16, while Air France-KLM extended its suspension of flights to and from the city until the end of October.
Etihad Airways cancelled flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam because of regional disruption. It also said flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh would remain cancelled until October 19.
Qatar Airways temporarily suspended flights to and from Riyadh and Dammam, while Delta Air Lines postponed the planned launch of its Atlanta-Riyadh service from October 23 until March 2027.
Aviation analysts have warned that avoiding parts of the Middle East could lengthen routes between Europe and Asia, increase operating costs and limit access to major regional hubs, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The disruption has also raised concerns about Saudi Arabia’s business outlook, with major events scheduled in Riyadh this month facing mounting pressure. They include the kingdom’s flagship investment conference and the WPC Energy Congress, where several senior oil executives were removed from the programme.
Saudi Arabia’s real gross domestic product is projected to contract by 3.6 per cent this year, reflecting several factors, including lower oil activity.
The continuing attacks have intensified concerns over the safety of civil aviation and the wider economic consequences of the regional conflict.
