Saudi capital’s airport to remain shut this week as airlines cancel services

The main international airport in Saudi Arabia's capital will remain closed through Saturday, October 17, following repeated aerial strikes by Yemen's Houthi movement that prompted international carriers to cancel flights and avoid the capital's airspace.

A notice issued to aviators indicated that operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh are suspended until 2100 GMT on October 17. The Saudi civil aviation authority stated that the prolonged shutdown is intended to allow officials to verify the safety and operational condition of the facility. The hub, which ranks as the kingdom's second-busiest behind Jeddah, originally halted operations after an assault on Saturday that left 13 people dead and over 300 injured, representing the deadliest such incident in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade. Another attack on Sunday resulted in one death and nearly a dozen injuries.

Late Monday, Houthi forces claimed responsibility for launching a ballistic missile at the Riyadh airport. Saudi officials previously reported intercepting and destroying an incoming ballistic missile directed at the capital. The Houthi movement also asserted that it had launched a drone strike against an airbase located in Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia, an action that was not immediately confirmed by Saudi authorities.

The persistent danger has caused widespread disruptions across the regional aviation network. Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium showed that cancellations reached 46.4 percent across all Saudi airports. Flight tracking services revealed aircraft circumnavigating Riyadh, although planes continued to traverse parts of Saudi airspace and land at the primary western hub in Jeddah.

Airlines worldwide have halted or adjusted operations in response to the security situation. Lufthansa Group announced it has canceled all Riyadh flights through October 16, while Air France-KLM extended its suspension of flights to and from the capital through the end of October. Regional carriers have also pulled back: Etihad Airways halted flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh through October 19 alongside broader disruptions to Jeddah and Dammam, and Qatar Airways paused services connecting to Riyadh and Dammam. In the United States, Delta Air Lines postponed the launch of its Atlanta-to-Riyadh route, originally set for October 23, until March 2027.

International regulators have heightened their alerts. The US Federal Aviation Administration recommended that American carriers exercise caution when operating in or near Saudi airspace, while the European Union Aviation Safety Agency expanded its airspace warnings due to ongoing missile and drone threats. Aviation safety advisory group OPSGROUP recommended that airlines reroute flights between Europe and Asia through central Asia to bypass the southern Middle Eastern corridor entirely, despite the substantial additional mileage.

The airport shutdown and security crisis threaten to undermine upcoming business gatherings in Riyadh, including the kingdom's major annual investment summit and the WPC Energy Congress. The travel disruption comes as Saudi Arabia's real gross domestic product is projected to contract by 3.6 percent this year, driven by decreased oil activity and broader economic headwinds.