Airlines suspending Riyadh flights: Full list of carriers affected

A growing number of airlines have suspended, postponed or cancelled flights to Riyadh as repeated attacks on Saudi Arabia’s capital continue to disrupt operations at King Khalid International Airport.

The latest wave of disruption follows a series of attacks claimed by the Houthi militia in Yemen. According to media reports, King Khalid International Airport has been targeted 20 times since 1 October.

At least 19 people have been killed and more than 330 injured in attacks across Saudi Arabia during the same period.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation earlier this week extended the suspension of airport operations to allow safety inspections to continue. The authority has not yet announced when normal services will resume.

Which airlines have suspended or cancelled Riyadh flights?

Among the airlines affected are:

• Cathay Pacific, which has postponed the resumption of Riyadh and Dubai flights until 31 January 2027.
• Philippine Airlines, which suspended Riyadh services earlier this month and does not plan to resume operations until 29 November.
• Akasa Air, which has extended its Riyadh suspension until 24 October 2026.
• Lufthansa, which has suspended Riyadh flights until 16 October.
• Air France and KLM, which have both extended suspensions until the end of October.
• Air India and IndiGo, which have cancelled Riyadh services.

Other airlines continue to operate reduced schedules amid significant disruption, including Etihad Airways, flydubai, Air Arabia, Qatar Airways and Emirates.

Riyadh airport records disruption rate above 80%

New data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, shows Riyadh remains the hardest-hit airport in Saudi Arabia.

Airlines are evacuating aircraft from Riyadh after attacks on the airport damaged 6 jets, including a Saudia A320 and Riyadh Air Boeing 787. https://t.co/aUGBllP0uE

— Aerospace Global News (@Aero_GlobalNews) October 15, 2026

On 15 October, King Khalid International Airport was scheduled to handle 366 departing flights. Of those, 298 were recorded as cancelled or no-fly, resulting in a disruption rate of 81.4%.

That compares with significantly lower disruption levels at other major Saudi gateways:

• Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport: 87 disrupted departures from 385 scheduled flights (22.6%).
• Dammam King Fahd International Airport: 60 disrupted departures from 131 scheduled flights (45.8%).
• Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport, Medina: 24 disrupted departures from 102 scheduled flights (23.5%).

The figures underline the extent to which Riyadh has become the focal point of Saudi Arabia’s aviation disruption.

Nearly half of all Saudi departures disrupted

Across Saudi Arabia, airlines scheduled 1,178 departures on 15 October, according to Cirium.

Of those flights, 552 were recorded as cancelled or no-fly, representing 46.9% of all scheduled departures.

Although disruption levels eased slightly compared with the peak seen earlier in the week, the country’s aviation network remains under considerable pressure.

Between 11-14 October, disruption rates consistently exceeded 55%, reaching a high of 60.2% on 12 October. The latest figures suggest operations are stabilising, but remain far from normal.

Which airlines are seeing the biggest operational impact?

Cirium’s data highlights the scale of disruption facing both Saudi and international airlines operating from the Kingdom.

Among the largest carriers:

• Saudia recorded 224 cancelled or no-fly departures from 392 scheduled flights, a disruption rate of 57.1%.
• Flynas saw 96 disruptions from 218 scheduled departures (44%).
• Flyadeal recorded 77 disruptions from 171 departures (45%).

Several international carriers experienced even higher disruption rates:

• Qatar Airways: 14 disrupted flights from 22 scheduled departures (63.6%).
• Etihad Airways: 9 disruptions from 13 departures (69.2%).
• flydubai: 13 disruptions from 24 departures (54.2%).
• IndiGo: 12 disruptions from 16 departures (75%).
• Riyadh Air: 13 disruptions from 20 departures (65%).

Meanwhile, Emirates recorded eight disrupted departures from eight scheduled flights, while Air India, Malaysia Airlines and Philippine Airlines also saw all scheduled Saudi departures recorded as cancelled or no-fly on 15 October.

New @cirium data shows 99.7% of scheduled departures from King Khalid International Airport failed to operate following deadly Houthi attacks, with disruption spreading across Saudi Arabia. Read the latest, including when the airport is likely to reopen: https://t.co/6WSkPnAUgc https://t.co/NMfY9IrHps

— Aerospace Global News (@Aero_GlobalNews) October 12, 2026

When will Riyadh flights resume?

There is currently no confirmed date for the airport to reopen,.

Until that is confirmed, passengers travelling to or from Riyadh are likely to face ongoing cancellations, schedule changes and delays.

Meanwhile Delta Air Lines has postponed the launch of its planned Atlanta-Riyadh nonstop service. It had originally been scheduled to begin October 23, but now is postponed until March 2027.