KABUL (Pajhwok): Saudi authorities have extended the closure of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport until Saturday following deadly attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, while several airlines have cancelled or suspended flights to the kingdom, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
Operations at the airport were suspended to allow authorities to complete procedures aimed at ensuring the safety and operational readiness of its facilities, the Saudi civil aviation authority said in a statement quoted by Reuters.
The airport, Saudi Arabia’s second-busiest after Jeddah’s, will remain closed until 9pm GMT on Saturday, 17 October, according to the report.
The airport has been closed since Saturday, when an attack killed 13 people and injured more than 300. A further attack on Sunday killed one person and injured 11 others, according to media reports.
Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium showed that flight cancellations at Saudi airports had reached 46.4 per cent, the report said.
Lufthansa has cancelled all flights to Riyadh until 16 October, while Air France-KLM has extended the suspension of flights to and from the Saudi capital until the end of the month.
Etihad Airways has also cancelled flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam amid regional disruptions. Flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh are suspended until 19 October, the airline announced.
Qatar Airways has temporarily suspended flights to and from Riyadh and Dammam.
Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines has postponed the launch of its planned Atlanta-Riyadh service, originally scheduled for 23 October, until March 2027.
The disruption comes as Saudi Arabia prepares to host major economic and energy events in Riyadh this month, including the country’s flagship investment conference and the World Petroleum Congress (WPC).
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