On Oct. 10, a series of cruise missile strikes from the islamist paramilitary Houthi group on Saudi Arabia’s main airport killed 12 people and injured more than 300 others.
With the group behind the deadliest terrorist attack on Saudi Arabia since May 2015, operations at King Khalid International Airport (RUH) remain suspended due to the ongoing risk of follow-up attacks.
Two earlier strikes on Oct. 8 killed three people and damaged a plane belonging to the national Saudia airline, the BBC reported.
While the international airport in Riyadh is expected to resume limited service once the immediate danger of attack has been cleared, most international airlines have canceled flights into Saudi Arabia for the foreseeable future amid the wider security situation in the Middle East.
Emirates, Etihad, KLM, Air France, Lufthansa cancel Saudi Arabia flights
Regional Middle Eastern airlines such as Emirates, Eithad, flydubai, and Air Arabia have all canceled flights from Dubai (DXB) and Abu Dhabi (AUH) until Oct. 12.
With Riyadh Airport still closed through Oct. 11, the airlines urged passengers with scheduled flights to keep checking their bookings as additional cancellations in the coming week are probable.
“The situation remains dynamic and further changes are possible,” Etihad Airways said in a statement to its customers, reported Khaleej Times.
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International airlines, including Air France, KLM, and British Airways, have implemented more far-reaching suspensions on their flights to Riyadh from various European capitals.
Due to earlier security risks set off by the U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran, KLM has not run its flights to Riyadh and Dammam since February 2024. At the moment, routes from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (AMS) are suspended until Oct. 24.
Air France and British Airways were scheduled to resume their flights into Riyadh on Oct. 27 and Nov. 3, respectively, although the recent escalations called that restart schedule into question. German flag carrier Lufthansa has already suspended the restart of its routes to Riyadh until Oct. 15 after Houthi attacks earlier in the month.
British Airways has resumed service to Doha earlier this year, while routes to other Middle Eastern destinations such as Bahrain, Amman, and Tel Aviv remain suspended.
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These airlines also suspended flights into Riyadh
Indian flag carrier Air India and Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific have also suspended their service into Riyadh until Oct. 15 and Nov. 3, respectively.
Singapore Airlines-owned low-cost carrier Scoot also suspended its flight between Singapore and King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) in Jeddah until Dec. 2.
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While no U.S. carrier currently flies directly to Saudi Arabia, a highly promoted Delta Air Lines flight to Riyadh from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) scheduled to launch on Oct. 23 is now in question, given the volatile situation in the region.
In an investor call presenting the airline’s third-quarter earnings results, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said that “safety is going to make the call” on whether the route will ultimately run or be pushed back, according to CNBC.
The governments of most major countries have also advised their citizens against traveling to Saudi Arabia due to the security situation.
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