Riyadh airport remains closed until 17 October after Houthi strikes

Saudi civil aviation authorities extended the closure of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh until 2100 GMT on 17 October after repeated Houthi attacks. The airport, the kingdom’s second-busiest after Jeddah, has been closed since a Saturday strike that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in more than a decade.

A subsequent projectile on Sunday killed one person and injured nearly a dozen. Late on Monday the Houthis said they had fired a ballistic missile at the airport; Saudi forces reported intercepting one. The Houthis also claimed a drone strike on an airbase in Khamis Mushait. A Notice to Airmen confirmed the extended shutdown to allow safety and readiness checks on facilities. Cirium data showed nearly all scheduled flights cancelled on Sunday and a high cancellation rate continuing into the week.

Airlines including Lufthansa Group, Air France-KLM and Etihad extended suspensions of services to Riyadh. The Federal Aviation Administration advised US carriers to exercise caution over Saudi Arabia. The attacks have also hit fuel tanks and a parked Airbus A320, according to earlier reports. The Houthis have warned airlines to avoid Saudi airspace and described airports as legitimate targets amid the renewed fighting with the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

The closure disrupts travel for a city of roughly eight million and affects investment and energy-related events scheduled in the capital. It adds to pressure on an aviation sector already facing higher fuel costs from wider Middle East conflict. Saudi officials have not published a full damage assessment of radar, runways or terminal infrastructure. The concrete fact is the multi-day suspension of operations at a major Gulf hub and the associated flight cancellations that follow from it.

Place: Riyadh. Date: 12–13 October 2026.