Houthi Attacks On Saudi Airports: Casualties, Flight Disruptions, Key Events Explained

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) [Editor's Note: For the latest updates on US-Iran hostilities and its wider impact on the region, follow the Khaleej Times live blog.]

Air travel to and from Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh remained disrupted on Friday after a series of attacks were reported at King Khalid International Airport and Abha airport, prompting flight cancellations, security warnings and international condemnation.

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The attacks over three days also led to loss of civilian lives alongside injuring several and causing material damage. Yemen's Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for several of the attacks, prompting the Saudi-led military coalition to vow retaliation.

Here's a rundown of the recent attacks, casualties and impact on travel to and from Saudi Arabia.

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. Attacks and casualties so far

The Saudi-led military coalition fighting on behalf of Yemen had announced on Thursday it intercepted and destroyed Houthi missiles targeting Riyadh. It also informed of an interception and destruction of a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis towards Khamis Mushait.

The Saudi civil defence agency also said that a kindergarten and a medical complex in Riyadh were damaged by debris from a missile interception on Thursday.

A day later, on October 9, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said two attacks targeted King Khalid International Airport on Thursday, October 8, leading to the death of three of the kingdom's nationals. The first one targeted airport facilities, while the second struck an aircraft belonging to Saudi state carrier Saudia.

Saudia said that one of its employees, Captain Hamoud Ali Alkalthami, died in the attack.

Several people of various nationalities were also injured in Thursday's attacks, which also caused material damage. The injuries ranged from minor to severe.

The latest casualties come after Saudi authorities said on October 7 that three people were killed in earlier strikes this week on Riyadh airport and Abha airport in the southwest of the country. One Sudanese national was killed and eight wounded in the attack on King Khalid International Airport. Two female residents, of Moroccan and Algerian nationalities, were killed and 28 wounded in an attack on Abha airport.

One of the attacks was on Tuesday, October 6 and Wednesday, October 7, the civil aviation authorities said, without specifying which attack had occurred on which day.

How was air travel impacted?

Nearly half of all flights scheduled to leave Riyadh on Thursday were cancelled or did not operate, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Of the 378 departures scheduled from King Khalid International Airport (RUH), 169 – or 44.71 per cent – were cancelled or listed as“no fly”, Cirium data showed.

Saudia cancelled or did not operate 97 of its 140 scheduled departures and 87 of 136 arrivals. Flynas cancelled 30 of 91 departures and flyadeal 20 of 54. Riyadh Air cancelled two of its 15 departures.

Together, the three Saudi carriers - Saudia, flynas and flyadeal - account for 147 of the 169 cancelled departures, or about 87 per cent. They also make up 105 of the 124 disrupted arrivals, around 85 per cent.

All four of Turkish Airlines' scheduled departures and all four arrivals were cancelled. Air India Express cancelled both departures, and SriLankan Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Yemenia and Turkey's AJet each lost their single scheduled departure. Other Indian airlines, including Air India and IndiGo, have also temporarily suspended their flights to Riyadh.

Etihad Airways cancelled eight flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh on October 9 and 10, citing operational disruptions at King Khalid International Airport (RUH) in Riyadh.

However, Saudia said its flights and operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh returned to normal as of 6pm on October 8. In a statement, Saudi Arabia's GACA also noted that airport operations had resumed and air traffic had returned to normal.

Security warnings

The attacks forced diplomats stationed in the Saudi capital to shelter in place and international schools to take safety measures.

The US Mission in Saudi Arabia reminded all American citizens to exercise heightened vigilance, and warned them of potential escalation. "US citizens should be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions. We recommend checking your flight departure status directly with the airline and with the airport," it said.

US citizens have also been advised to not travel near the Yemen border and follow the guidance of national alerts released by Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense.

The UK's FCDO has advised against all but essential travel to Aseer province, Riyadh province, Najran province, Jizan province and Taif city and Taif International Airport. It also advised against all travel to within 10km of the border with Yemen.

What have the Houthis said?

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Thursday, October 8 that they had targeted Riyadh's airport for a third time with two cruise missiles. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the Iran-backed group had launched two missiles at Riyadh's airport, as well as one at an airport in Najran and another at an airbase in Khamis Mushait.

Saudi Arabia leads a pro-government coalition fighting against the Houthis in Yemen's civil war, and the Iran-backed group has repeatedly targeted Riyadh since the conflict roared back to life, vowing to hit critical infrastructure and disrupt Saudi airspace.

The conflict in Yemen had lain dormant since 2022 but erupted again in July, and the scale and frequency of the attacks on the Saudi capital since then have been unprecedented in the eight months of wider war in the Middle East.

The Houthis say they are targeting the kingdom over its support for government forces in Yemen's reignited civil war. Saudi Arabia says it is backing an offensive by Yemen's UN-recognised government to take back territory from the Houthis.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis have vowed retaliation, saying the attacks "will not go unpunished". In a statement issued late on Wednesday, the coalition said it had attacked more than 80 Houthi military sites across the governorates of Saada, Hodeidah, Jawf and Marib.

International condemnation

The United Nations, UK, France and governments across the Middle East have denounced the strikes on Saudi Arabia. The UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman issued statements condemning the attacks and expressing solidarity.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the strikes as a blatant violation of Saudi sovereignty and a threat to the Kingdom's security and stability.

Kuwait called for an immediate halt to the attacks, stressing that Saudi Arabia's security was inseparable from that of Kuwait and the wider Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Bahrain similarly warned that targeting airports and endangering passengers and airport workers represented a dangerous escalation threatening regional security and civil aviation.

[With inputs from AFP and Reuters]

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