Houthi Attacks Wipe Out 86% of Riyadh Airport Flights
Cirium data shows 4,071 flights canceled at King Khalid International between October 8 and 25, forcing Delta to delay its new route and cancel major local events.
By Claire Davidson ·
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have grounded nearly nine in ten flights at Riyadh’s main airport, leaving the Saudi capital’s skies empty for the past two weeks. The disruption stems from a sustained campaign of missile and drone strikes that has targeted infrastructure across the kingdom.
Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that 4,071 of 4,736 scheduled flights were scrapped at King Khalid International Airport between October 8 and October 25. This 86% cancellation rate reflects the severity of the impact on the second-busiest airport in Saudi Arabia. The data covers the period immediately following a deadly strike on October 10 that killed 13 people, marking the most fatal incident in the country in over a decade.
Saudi authorities attempted to restore operations on Sunday by partially reopening the facility. Domestic services resumed from Terminal 1, while national carriers were cleared to run international flights from Terminal 2. However, the Houthis claimed a new attack on the airport on Monday, labeling it a military target. This renewed threat has kept many global carriers on the ground.
International airlines have suspended services to Riyadh through November, citing the ongoing instability. Delta Air Lines has pushed back the launch of its Riyadh route until next year. The flight disruptions have also forced the cancellation or postponement of several high-profile events in the capital, including the kingdom’s major investment conference. Travelers face difficulty moving in and out of the country as a result.
The cancellations have spread beyond Riyadh to other parts of Saudi Arabia. Cirium data indicates that more than 7,800 flights, or 45% of all scheduled departures from Saudi airports, were canceled during the same two-week window. The peak of the disruption occurred on October 12, when over 60% of nationwide flights were scrapped.
Other airports have also reported high cancellation rates. Dammam saw 42% of its flights canceled, while Abha lost 46.7% of services. The impact was most severe at smaller regional hubs. At Najran, an airport located near the Yemeni border, every scheduled flight was canceled between October 8 and October 25.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
