By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-10-08 20:21:10 | Updated at 2026-10-08 21:50:59
1 hour ago
Almost half of all scheduled departures from Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport were scrapped on Thursday as repeated Houthi missile and drone strikes threw Saudi Arabia's busiest aviation hub into chaos.
Aviation analytics firm Cirium recorded 169 cancellations out of 378 planned departures, a rate of 44.7 per cent, while globally more than 330 flights connecting with the Saudi capital were axed, according to tracking data.
The disruption followed a fresh overnight ballistic missile attack claimed by Yemen's Iran-backed rebels, the third strike on the airport in as many days.
Across all Saudi airports, over a quarter of the day's 1,194 departures were cancelled or failed to operate, Cirium figures showed.
King Khalid International Airport urged travellers to verify their flight status with carriers before travelling to the terminal.
Thick black smoke and flames were spotted billowing from a stationary Saudia aircraft on the airport tarmac earlier on Thursday, according to a witness and three individuals briefed on the incident.
Emergency vehicles and ambulances raced to the scene as passengers were ordered to leave the terminal and abandon their checked baggage.
The fire came amid a pattern of repeated closures and resumptions at King Khalid International Airport over recent days.
King Khalid International Airport was targeted overnight by a Houthi missile and drone attack
REUTERS
The airport has effectively been opening and closing in response to incoming threats since Tuesday, when the Houthis first struck both Riyadh and Abha International Airport in the south-west.
Saudi Arabia bore the brunt of the operational fallout, with roughly 69 per cent of its 140 planned departures from Riyadh scrapped, 97 flights in total, Cirium data showed.
Riyadh Air, the kingdom's newer carrier, escaped comparatively lightly, with just two of 15 scheduled departures disrupted.
Lufthansa Group announced on Thursday that all its airlines would halt Riyadh services until October 16, citing "current developments in the Middle East", adding a major European carrier to the growing list of suspensions.
Lufthansa Group announced on Thursday that all its airlines would halt Riyadh services until October 16 (file photo)
REUTERS
Air India and Air India Express both cancelled flights to and from the Saudi capital until October 10, offering affected passengers complimentary rebooking or full refunds.
One Air India service from Delhi turned back mid-flight "in the interest of passenger and crew safety", the airline said.
IndiGo likewise pulled back, diverting its Hyderabad–Riyadh flight to Dammam and cancelling Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai services through Friday.
All four Turkish Airlines departures from Riyadh were also listed as cancelled, alongside services from Philippine Airlines, EgyptAir and SriLankan Airlines.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree declared that ballistic missiles had struck King Khalid International Airport, "causing damage and disrupting air traffic at the airport".
The group said it also launched projectiles at an airport in Najran and an airbase in Khamis Mushait.
The earlier strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday claimed three lives, a Sudanese national killed in Riyadh and Egyptian and Algerian nationals who died in the Abha attack, whilst 36 others sustained injuries, Saudi aviation authorities confirmed.
The US embassy in Riyadh warned American citizens to anticipate possible "flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions", urging them to check departure status directly with airlines and the airport.
