Several Middle Eastern air carriers have halted flights to the Saudi capital after Houthi militia strikes caused significant casualties.. King Khalid International Airport remains closed as authorities conduct safety evaluations following attacks that killed at least 20 people.
The 10 Houthi strikes that paralyzed five Saudi airports
The current aviation crisis is the result of a concentrated campaign of violence. According to an Anadolu tally, the Houthi militia has launched 10 separate attacks targeting five different Saudi airports since October 5. These strikes have resulted in more than 20 deaths and hundreds of injuries , while causing substantial material damage to critical infrastructure.
This surge in violence is not an isolated event but part of a long-standing military escalation. the Houthi militia, which has controlled Sanaa and several other provinces since 2014, has been locked in a conflict with a Saudi-led military coalition since 2015. While the conflict has historically focused on Yemeni soil, the recent targeting of civilian aviation facilities and energy installations indicates a shift toward striking the Saudi heartland to exert political pressure.
How Etihad and Qatar Airways responded to the Riyadh shutdown
The instability has forced a cascade of cancellations across the Arab region. As reported by Reuters, Etihad Airways of the United Arab Emirates cancelled all flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh until Monday, October 19. The airline's disruptions extended further, cancelling Abu Dhabi-Dammam flights for Tuesday and Wednesday, and select flights to Jeddah through Thursday.
Other regional giants have taken similar precautions. Qatar Airways announced a temporary suspension of flights to both Riyadh and Dammam, while Bahrain's Gulf Air cancelled its Riyadh services from October 12 to October 17. The ripple effect reached North Africa as well, with EgyptAir suspending flights from Cairo and Alexandria to the Saudi capital. Kuwait Airways also confirmed cancellations following the initial airport shutdown over the weekend.
The indefinite closure of King Khalid International Airport
At the center of the disruption is King Khalid International Airport, which serves as Saudi Arabia's second-busiest aviation hub after Jeddah. The facility was forced to suspend operations on Saturday after a specific attack left 13 people dead and more than 300 injured. The scale of the casualties at a single facility highlights the vulnerability of these hubs to militia incursions.
The Saudi Arabia Civil Aviation Authority has since extended the suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport until further notice. According to the report, this extension is required to allow relevant authorities to complete comprehensive safety checks on the airport's facilities and ensure operational readiness before commercial traffic is permitted to return.
What remains unknown about the 'current developments' cited by Qatar Airways
Despite the volume of cancellations, several critical details remain opaque. Qatar Airways cited "current developments" as the reason for its suspension, but neither the airline nor the Saudi government has specified whether this refers to actvie intelligence regarding new incoming threats or the physical state of the runways. It remains unclear if the Houthi militia has deployed new weapon systems that have rendered existing Saudi air defenses inadequate.
Furthermore, while the Anadolu tally provides a death toll, there is a lack of independent verification regarding the specific nature of the "material damage" mentioned in the reports. It is not yet known if the damage to King Khalid International Airport is structural or limited to peripheral security installations, leaving the timeline for a full reopening uncertain.
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