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| Satellite image of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 11, following reported Houthi attacks. Image supplied by the European Union’s Copernicus Sentinel-2 programme. |
Houthi Attacks Disrupt Flights at Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Airport
RIYADH — October 12, 2026
Flights to and from Saudi Arabia’s capital were severely disrupted on Monday after deadly attacks claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement targeted the airport area. Aviation data showed widespread cancellations at King Khalid International Airport, while airlines across Europe and Asia suspended services over safety concerns.
King Khalid International Airport, the kingdom’s second-busiest airport after Jeddah, cancelled 99.7% of its scheduled flights on Sunday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. On Monday, Cirium expected about 60% of scheduled flights to be cancelled at Riyadh, while FlightRadar24 estimated the cancellation rate at around 78%.
More than one-third of scheduled flights across Saudi Arabia were also expected not to operate on Monday, highlighting the wider impact on the country's air travel network.
The airport remained closed on Sunday following an attack that killed one person and injured nearly a dozen others. The incident came a day after another Houthi-claimed attack that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, according to the supplied report.
The attacks caused one of the most serious disruptions to Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation in recent years. Airlines operating routes between Europe, Asia and the kingdom have suspended services as concerns grow over the safety of flying to and over the region.
The US Federal Aviation Administration advised American airlines on Sunday to exercise caution when operating flights to or over Saudi Arabia because of safety risks.
Lufthansa Group cancelled all flights to Riyadh through October 16, while Air France-KLM extended its suspension of services to and from the Saudi capital until the end of October.
The disruption has left passengers facing cancellations and uncertainty as airlines respond to the security situation. The scale of the flight suspensions will depend on how the situation develops and when airlines determine it is safe to resume normal operations.
