Riyadh airport latest: 99.7% of departures cancelled after deadly Houthi attacks

Almost all scheduled departures from Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport failed to operate on Sunday, while more than half of flights across Saudi Arabia were cancelled or did not fly, according to Cirium data.

Riyadh airport recorded just one departure from 354 scheduled flights on Sunday, 11 October, following two days of deadly attacks attributed to Yemen’s Houthi movement.

Cirium, an aviation analytics company, recorded 353 flights as cancelled or not flown, representing 99.7% of the airport’s scheduled departures.

Across Saudi Arabia, 623 of 1,096 scheduled departures were cancelled or did not operate on Sunday, equivalent to 56.8% of flights.

The disruption followed attacks on Riyadh airport on Saturday and Sunday that killed 14 people and injured hundreds, according to Saudi authorities.

Reuters reported that a projectile struck Terminal 4 on Sunday, causing a fire. Saudi air defences also intercepted a cruise missile near the airport.

The attack followed Saturday’s strike, which killed 13 people and injured more than 300. An Indian national was among those who died.

According to a NOTAM (Notice to Air Mission) issued today (12 October), King Khalid International Airport will be closed until at least 17 October.

Flight disruption spreads across Saudi Arabia

Cirium recorded 2,018 departures as cancelled or not flown between 8 and 13 October, representing 30.5% of the 6,608 scheduled flights in its dataset.

Sunday was the worst affected day, with 56.8% of scheduled departures failing to operate. The figure was 37.3% on Saturday, 10 October.

The data also shows disruption at airports outside Riyadh.

At King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, 56 of 123 scheduled departures did not operate on Sunday, representing 45.5% of flights.

• Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport recorded 98 affected departures out of 370 scheduled.
• Abha International Airport had 22 of 43 departures cancelled or not flown.

Several smaller airports also recorded high percentages of disruption, although these involved fewer scheduled flights.

Saudi airlines account for most affected departures

Saudi Arabia’s three largest established carriers recorded substantial disruption between Thursday, 8 October, and Sunday, 11 October.

Saudia had 646 departures cancelled or not flown from 1,546 scheduled flights, representing 41.8% of its operations.

Flynas recorded 327 affected departures out of 817 scheduled, while flyadeal had 311 of 679 departures cancelled or not flown.

On Sunday alone, 225 Saudia departures did not operate, alongside 146 flynas and 120 flyadeal services.

Cirium also recorded all 17 scheduled Riyadh Air departures as cancelled or not flown on Sunday.

Other carriers in the region, including Etihad Airways, flydubai and Air Arabia, have cancelled flights. Emirates recorded no departures from Saudi Arabia on Sunday despite 11 scheduled flights. Qatar Airways had nine departures disrupted out of 20 scheduled.

International airlines were also affected. Lufthansa has suspended Riyadh services until 16 October. Air France and KLM have extended their suspension until the end of October. Air India and IndiGo have also cancelled services.

Dammam airport also struck

King Fahd International Airport in Dammam was struck on Sunday evening.

A passenger aboard an aircraft taxiing at the airport told Reuters that a projectile struck the tarmac near parked aircraft at approximately 8:30 pm local time, causing a fire.

The aircraft returned to its gate, and passengers disembarked.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for attacks on Riyadh and Dammam airports, as well as two Saudi Aramco facilities.

The group warned airlines against operating flights to Saudi airports unless Saudi military operations in Yemen ceased.

FAA and EASA warn airlines over Saudi airspace

The US Federal Aviation Administration has warned American aircraft operators to exercise caution when flying to or over Saudi Arabia.

The FAA advisory, effective until 10 December, identifies risks from military activity and possible interference with aircraft navigation systems.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency also widened its Saudi airspace warning on 9 October, citing missile and drone activity, interception operations and falling debris.

Delta Air Lines is scheduled to launch nonstop flights between Atlanta and Riyadh on 23 October. Chief executive Ed Bastian said last week that the airline would assess security conditions before proceeding.

Cirium’s preliminary figures for Monday, 12 October, show 362 departures cancelled or not flown from 1,048 scheduled flights, equivalent to 34.5%.

Saudi authorities have not confirmed when normal operations at King Khalid International Airport will resume.