Saudi Arabia has extended the closure of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport until 9 p.m. GMT on October 17 after a series of deadly attacks attributed to Yemen’s Houthi movement disrupted air travel and prompted widespread cancellations.
The Saudi civil aviation authority said the suspension would allow officials to inspect airport facilities and confirm their safety and operational readiness. The airport, the kingdom’s second-busiest after Jeddah, has been closed since a Saturday strike that Saudi authorities said killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. A further attack on Sunday reportedly killed one person and injured nearly a dozen others.
Aviation data showed the shutdown’s effects spreading beyond Riyadh, with Cirium estimating that 60% of scheduled flights there could be cancelled and cancellations across Saudi airports reaching 46.4%. Airlines including Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and Gulf Air suspended or extended service cuts, while passengers were urged to check directly with carriers before travelling. Aircraft continued using Jeddah, but flight trackers showed planes avoiding Riyadh as authorities assessed the security threat.
The attacks have intensified concerns about the vulnerability of civilian airports as regional fighting increasingly affects commercial aviation.