Riyadh Airport Shutdown Extended to Oct. 17 as Houthi Attacks Trigger Mass Flight Cancellations

King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the city’s primary international airport and one of the Middle East’s most vital transit hubs, will remain closed until at least October 17 following another strike by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis on Saturday.

Saturday’s strike, which killed 13 people and injured more than 300, is part of a escalating wave of attacks targeting the facility after the collapse of a long-standing ceasefire between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

The repeated terminal strikes-including subsequent follow-up attacks on Sunday-have forced civil aviation authorities to keep the airport shut to assess structural damage, clear debris, and increase security.

The shutdown, which now tallies more than 2,000 flights since last week, is severely disrupting international air travel across the region. Major international carriers-including Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, Qatar Airways, and SriLankan Airlines-have suspended all service to the capital, while global aviation regulators like the FAA and EASA have issued safety warnings for central Saudi airspace.

According to FlightAware, ripple effects are heavily impacting surrounding hubs and regional carriers.

Flag carrier Saudia has grounded over 115 flights, while regional low-cost carriers Flynas and Flyadeal have canceled 37% and 75% of their schedules, respectively.

Nearby King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam are also seeing double-digit cancellations. Dubai International, maybe the most important hub for leisure travel in the area, is mostly operating on time on Tuesday, with less than 10% of its flights impacted.

U.S. Travel Warning

As of Tuesday, the U.S. has a Level 3: Reconsider Travel warning for Saudi Arabia, its second-highest advisory level.

“Reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia due to risk of drone and missile targeting of American interests by Iran and the Iranian-supported Houthis, armed conflict, terrorism, exit bans, and local laws regarding social media activity. Some areas have increased risk,” the warning reads.

The warning does include a Level 4: Do Not Travel warning for any area on the Yemen border because of a heightened risk of attacks from the Houthis.

Delta Air Lines Delays Saudi Arabia Nonstop

Because of the continued attacked, Delta Air Lines has made the decision to delay its nonstop service between Atlanta and Riyadh. The flight was set to be the first nonstop between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia from a U.S. airline.

The service was supposed to start on Oct. 23, with an Airbus A350-900 wide-body plane. According to reports, Delta doesn’t currently have a date for when, or if, it expects to fly the route.