Saudi Arabian authorities have extended the closure of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport until Saturday following persistent missile and drone attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation confirmed that operations at the country’s second-busiest airport remain suspended to ensure facility safety and operational readiness. A Notice to Airmen indicates the closure will last until October 17 at 2100 GMT.
The shutdown follows a deadly attack on Saturday that killed 13 people and injured over 300 the deadliest incident in Saudi Arabia in over a decade. A subsequent strike on Sunday resulted in one death and nearly a dozen injuries. On Monday the Houthis claimed another ballistic missile attack targeting the airport, alongside a drone strike on an airbase in Khamis Mushait.
The ongoing strikes have triggered severe international flight disruptions. Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that nearly 46% of flights across Saudi airports have been canceled. Major international carriers like Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, Etihad and Qatar Airways have suspended services to Riyadh and neighboring hubs.
Global aviation safety regulators including the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have issued warnings urging airlines to exercise extreme caution or reroute flights away from Saudi airspace.
The disruption comes amid broader economic challenges for Saudi Arabia, threatening upcoming major international events in Riyadh including the kingdom's flagship investment conference and the WPC Energy Congress.
