Riyadh airport to stay closed until 17 October after deadly Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh will stay closed until Saturday, 17 October, after a week of deadly missile and drone attacks claimed by Yemen’s Houthi movement, according to a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) cited by Reuters and The Siasat Daily. Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) extended the suspension on 12 October “to complete the necessary procedures to verify the safety of the airport’s facilities,” CBS News reported.

Deadliest attack on 10 October

The worst attack, on 10 October, killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300, according to GACA figures reported by Al Jazeera. The dead included at least four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis and one person each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt. Later counts differ: CBS News reported 13 deaths, and The Siasat Daily cited Saudi authorities as putting the toll at 13 killed and 320 injured.

Turki al-Malki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, called the attack a “full-fledged war crime” and said the coalition would “respond decisively”, according to Al Jazeera. CBS News reported that one person, described as a Pakistani national, was killed and 11 were injured in a further strike on 11 October. CBS put the total number of people killed in attacks on Saudi airports during the week at at least 20.

Fresh strikes and flight disruption

On 12 October, the Houthis said they had fired a ballistic missile at Riyadh airport and a drone at the Khamis Mushait base, and the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a missile over Riyadh, CBS News reported. Explosions were heard in the capital after residents received an aerial-threat warning. CBS also reported that Saudi Arabia has opened an investigation into why its air defences failed to intercept the missiles and drones.

• Riyadh airport is closed until 17 October, according to the NOTAM
• 486 of 1,048 Saudi departures were cancelled on 12 October, according to data firm Cirium (cited by The Siasat Daily)
• Etihad has cancelled Abu Dhabi–Riyadh flights until 19 October; Gulf Air has suspended Riyadh flights until 17 October
• The US Federal Aviation Administration has advised American airlines to use caution in or over Saudi airspace
• Brent crude rose above $105 a barrel on 12 October, CBS News reported

US President Donald Trump said on 10 October that the US “may” join strikes against the Houthis. “We’re gonna look at it,” he said, according to CBS News. Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the kingdom had been “tested” and that “our response must be equally serious,” CBS News reported.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree has warned airlines against flying to Saudi airports, except those in Mecca and Medina. Al Jazeera reported that the group has declared Saudi airspace a military operations zone, after a Yemeni government offensive against the Houthis began earlier in the week.

Sources: Al Jazeera, CBS News, Deccan Herald (Reuters), The Siasat Daily