Riyadh Airport Shut Until October 17: Which Airlines Have Pulled Saudi Flights, and Until When

According to a statement from the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) carried by Times of Oman, the airport was attacked on the afternoon of October 10, causing injuries whose extent was still being assessed. GACA said operations were temporarily suspended pending a full damage assessment and verification of the safety of the facilities. A later NOTAM, extended on Monday, October 12 according to Air Data News, keeps the airport closed until 21:00 UTC on October 17, which is midnight in Riyadh.

Reports of casualties differ between outlets and the figures were still changing, so none are given here. Saudi authorities had not confirmed the cause of damage to an aircraft earlier in the week, and the reporting attributes competing accounts to different parties.

How large the disruption is

On October 8, Cirium data cited by Gulf News showed 169 of 378 scheduled Riyadh departures (44.7 percent) and 124 of 369 scheduled arrivals (33.6 percent) cancelled or not operating as of 4:25 pm local time. Simple Flying, citing Cirium, counted 293 cancelled or non-operating flights at Riyadh that day, about 39 percent of scheduled movements, and cited FlightAware figures of more than 450 cancelled or delayed flights.

The national carrier carried most of the burden. Gulf News listed 97 of Saudia's 140 scheduled departures (69.3 percent) as affected. Low-cost carrier flynas had 30 of 91 departures affected, flyadeal 20 of 54, and Riyadh Air 2 of 15, based on the Cirium snapshot. Among foreign carriers, all four Turkish Airlines departures, both Air India Express departures and two of four EgyptAir departures were affected in the same snapshot.

By Monday, October 12, Flightradar24 ranked Riyadh the world's most disrupted airport, with Jeddah second, according to The New Arab. Dammam was operating with delays and receiving some diverted flights, and Madinah traffic continued. Air Data News, citing Cirium, said 486 of 1,048 scheduled departures from Saudi airports on Monday had been cancelled or had not operated as of 16:00 local time, and that Riyadh normally handles about 700 flights a day.

Gulf carriers

Gulf airlines initially kept flying but have since trimmed schedules, according to Siasat Daily and The New Arab.

• Etihad Airways cancelled all Abu Dhabi-Riyadh flights until October 19, citing "regional disruption." Dammam flights were cancelled until October 14 and selected Jeddah services until October 15.
• flydubai cancelled flights to Abha, Dammam and Riyadh through October 19, according to Siasat Daily. The New Arab, in an earlier update, listed the cancellations as running through October 14, indicating the period was extended.
• Qatar Airways suspended Riyadh and Dammam flights with no resumption date given.
• Emirates cancelled its three daily Riyadh flights on October 13 and 14.
• Gulf Air cancelled Riyadh flights until October 17.
• Air Arabia dropped Riyadh and Taif services on both days, and Kuwait Airways called off Riyadh flights, without dates given.

Indian carriers

Four Indian airlines have cut Saudi service, which matters because Saudi Arabia is a large market for Indian travellers. According to Siasat Daily, the Indian carriers first halted Riyadh operations on October 8, after an Air India flight from Delhi turned back mid-air while missiles were reported to be targeting the airport.

• IndiGo cancelled all flights to and from Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah until October 17, as announced on October 13.
• Air India extended its Riyadh suspension to October 15. It normally operates seven weekly flights to Riyadh from Delhi and Mumbai, according to the report.
• Air India Express cancelled Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh flights until October 17, offering free rescheduling or full refunds.
• Akasa Air suspended Riyadh and Jeddah flights until October 17.

Siasat Daily also noted that the Air India, Air India Express and Lufthansa Group suspensions end before the airport's scheduled reopening, so those dates may be extended. It linked to a separate report that about 250 passengers were stranded after IndiGo cancelled a Jeddah-Hyderabad flight.

European, Asian and other carriers

Lufthansa Group said its airlines would suspend Riyadh flights through October 16, citing "current developments in the Middle East", as reported by The New Arab and Reuters. Air France and KLM halted Riyadh service until the end of October, and Siasat Daily reports that Air France's suspension also covers Dubai.

SriLankan Airlines suspended Riyadh service until October 18. Philippine Airlines had cancelled Riyadh flights earlier in the month and, according to AirlineGeeks, will not restart until November 29. Cathay Pacific is postponing the resumption of Dubai and Riyadh service through January 31, 2027, although Simple Flying noted that this extension is not tied to the latest attack. Singapore Airlines, according to Gulf News and Simple Flying, had previously postponed the launch of its Riyadh service to March 28, 2027, citing the Middle East conflict.

Delta pushes back its Saudi debut

Delta Air Lines announced on Monday, October 12 that it was postponing its planned Atlanta-Riyadh nonstop service, scheduled to start October 23, until March 2027, according to AirlineGeeks. The route was to operate daily at first and then three times weekly after October 30, and would have been the first Saudi service by a US airline. In a statement quoted in that report, Delta said, "We look forward to connecting Saudi Arabia to Delta's global network in March 2027." The airline said safety and security come first and that Saudi Arabia remains an important long-term market. Passengers can review options, including refunds, through Delta's website and app.

AirlineGeeks also reported that the US Federal Aviation Administration cautioned airlines after the attacks on Saudi Arabia, in a separate item published October 12.

Why the airport matters beyond Saudi Arabia

Riyadh is both a destination and a transfer point. Gulf News noted that Saudi airspace has become an important diversion corridor for flights avoiding airspace over Iran, Jordan, Iraq and Syria. Simple Flying observed that every Riyadh Air flight touches Riyadh, so continued disruption at King Khalid threatens the reliability of the new carrier, which began scheduled Boeing 787-9 operations in June and had 15 routes on sale. The same report links the airport's role to Riyadh's ambitions as a connecting hub under Vision 2030.

Not all Saudi aviation has stopped. The New Arab stressed that the cancellations are not a complete suspension of international flights to the country, and flight-tracking data on Monday showed aircraft still using Saudi airspace. Jeddah and Dammam remained open, although Jeddah was significantly disrupted. The Houthis said the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah are exempt from their threats while warning airlines off other Saudi airports, according to the New Arab and Siasat Daily.

Government advisories

Several governments have issued or tightened travel advice, The New Arab reported. Australia and New Zealand on Monday urged travellers to avoid King Khalid International and to reconsider travel through other Saudi airports, and the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Japan and South Korea issued similar advisories. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all but essential travel to Riyadh, Aseer, Najran and Jizan provinces, and on Sunday added Jeddah and Dammam. The US Embassy in Riyadh advised American citizens to reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia as a whole.

What remains unknown

GACA has not said whether the airport will reopen on October 17 as the NOTAM indicates or whether the closure will be extended again. Several airline suspensions end before that date, and the reports say further cancellations are possible. Official figures on terminal damage and total cancellations had not been published in the sources reviewed. Casualty counts and the sequence of the week's strikes differ between outlets, and those attributions are kept rather than reconciled.

Sources

• The New Arab, "Which airlines have cancelled Saudi flights amid Houthi attacks?" (published October 12, updated October 13, 2026)
• Siasat Daily, "At least 15 airlines cancel flights to Saudi amid Houthi attacks" (October 13, 2026)
• Gulf News with Bloomberg, "Airlines cancel flights to Riyadh after Houthi attack on airport" (updated October 8, 2026)
• Simple Flying, "Airlines Suspend Riyadh Flights After Houthi Attack on Saudia Aircraft" (October 8, 2026)
• AirlineGeeks, "Airlines Pause Service to Saudi Arabia After Riyadh Airport Attacks" (October 13, 2026)
• AirlineGeeks, "Delta Pushes Back Saudi Arabia Flights to March 2027" (October 12, 2026)
• Times of Oman, carrying the Saudi Press Agency's GACA statement (October 11, 2026)
• Air Data News, "Riyadh airport to remain closed until October 17 as airlines cancel hundreds of flights" (October 12, 2026)