King Khalid International Airport attacks halted flights

Attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Saturday and Sunday killed 14 people across two days and brought flight operations to a near-total halt on Sunday, according to International Airport Review. The Houthis claimed responsibility, saying they used ballistic and cruise missiles and drones.

The initial Saturday attack killed at least 12 people and wounded 309, Reuters reported, citing officials. International Airport Review’s Oct. 12 report put Saturday’s death toll at 13, followed by another death in Sunday’s strike.

For travelers, the disruption extends beyond the immediate airport closure. International Airport Review reported that Lufthansa Group canceled all flights to Riyadh until Oct. 16, while Air France-KLM extended its suspension of services to and from the city until the end of October. Those airline decisions have separate timelines from any eventual reopening of the airport.

Second Riyadh airport strike hit a passenger hall

A Saudi military spokesman said Sunday’s projectile strike started a fire in a passenger hall, according to International Airport Review. The coalition spokesman identified the location as Passenger Hall No. 4 and also reported that air defenses intercepted a missile near the airport.

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Aviation Authority said a Pakistani resident was killed and 11 people were injured in Sunday’s attack, International Airport Review reported. The publication also cited an anonymous regional official who said a missile had hit two domestic terminals.

The rising casualty count reflects separate developments, not interchangeable estimates. In its follow-up coverage, The Associated Press reported that India’s embassy said an Indian citizen died Sunday from injuries sustained in Saturday’s attack, bringing that attack’s death toll to 13. The person killed in Sunday’s strike brought the combined toll to 14 in International Airport Review’s subsequent account.

Reuters reported that Saturday’s dead included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis and one person each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt. Some of the wounded were in critical condition, with patients taken to hospitals by ambulance and helicopter.

Riyadh flight cancellations approached a complete shutdown Sunday

King Khalid, identified by airport code RUH, canceled 99.7% of its scheduled flights Sunday and remained closed that day, according to Cirium data cited by International Airport Review. The publication described Riyadh as Saudi Arabia’s second-busiest airport after Jeddah.

Flights were diverted after the last aircraft landed at 2:05 p.m., according to Flightradar24 information carried in the same report. Kuwait Airways canceled services because the airport had closed.

The operational disruption was expected to continue into Monday. International Airport Review reported that Cirium expected about 60% of Riyadh’s scheduled flights to be canceled that day, with more than a third of scheduled flights across Saudi Arabia not expected to operate. Those were forecasts for Monday, not confirmed results or a measure of Tuesday’s operations.

The reports reviewed for this article do not establish whether King Khalid had reopened by Oct. 13. The documented Sunday closure and Monday cancellation forecast should therefore not be read as confirmation of the airport’s current operating status.

Airline suspensions have different end dates

The suspension windows are not uniform. According to International Airport Review, Lufthansa Group’s cancellations of flights to Riyadh run until Oct. 16; Air France-KLM’s suspension covers services both to and from the city until the end of the month. Kuwait Airways’ cancellations were reported in connection with the airport closure.

Those published suspension periods extend beyond the weekend attacks. An airport reopening and the resumption of a particular airline’s services are separate developments; the longer carrier suspensions remain relevant to passengers booked during those periods.

Nor do the reported strikes on domestic terminals narrow the disruption to domestic passengers. International Airport Review documented diversions, the airport closure and service suspensions by international airline groups. The physical location of a strike and the reach of its operational consequences are different things.

Aviation warnings extend beyond Riyadh

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration told U.S. airlines Sunday to exercise caution when flying to or over Saudi Arabia, International Airport Review reported. That was an aviation caution, not a blanket prohibition on those flights.

The Houthis also warned airlines and passengers against using Saudi airports and airspace, according to the publication. The group’s military spokesman said all Saudi airports apart from those in Mecca and Medina were potential targets. That warning came from the armed group claiming the attacks; it should not be confused with an official aviation restriction or an independent safety assessment.

The disruption also extended beyond the reports from Riyadh. International Airport Review reported that the Houthis claimed an attack on Dammam airport. AP separately reported that Saudi authorities said King Fahd International Airport in Dammam had been attacked, while providing few details.

Repeated attacks amid an escalating conflict

Saturday’s strike was the third attack on Riyadh’s airport that week, Reuters reported. The two preceding attacks killed four people and caused heavy damage to a Saudi commercial aircraft parked on the tarmac. AP’s Sunday account described the airport as having been struck four times in five days.

The attacks followed a deterioration in the informal ceasefire between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis, according to BBC News. That ceasefire had been in place since March 2022. The coalition backs Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

The BBC reported that the Houthis renewed missile and drone attacks on Saudi ports and oil sites in July, when the group announced a “maritime embargo” against Saudi Arabia. Fighting intensified after the group seized stretches of the Red Sea coast in September. Saudi Arabia responded with airstrikes.