Houthi Attacks on Six Saudi Airports Kill 12 in Riyadh, Suspend King Khalid International Flights
Why It MattersRepeated strikes on a hub serving around 50 airlines show how quickly one closure cascades into displaced aircraft, crew scheduling gaps and stranded passengers for every carrier tied to it.
What happened
Attacks between October 5 and 11, 2026 hit six Saudi airports, including those in Jizan, Najran, Abha, Dammam and, above all, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. According to Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority, the October 10 strike on King Khalid killed 12 people and injured more than 300. Flights at King Khalid remain suspended, with no reopening timeline.
Yemen's Houthi movement has admitted responsibility for the attacks. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree warned international airlines on Sunday against using Saudi airports and airspace, exempting only those serving Mecca and Medina.
Air France, British Airways and Lufthansa have suspended Riyadh service. Delta is due to launch the first U.S. nonstop flight to Riyadh on October 23. Its CEO, Ed Bastian, told CNBC on October 9, before the most recent attacks, that "safety is going to make the call."
Industry impact & what to watch
King Khalid serves around 50 airlines and tens of thousands of passengers a day, so each closure creates aircraft displacement, crew scheduling problems, stranded passengers and losses for carriers. A hub of that scale cannot be switched off without the effects reaching every network that touches it, from long-haul schedules to the crews and aircraft positioned for them.
The conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis goes back years, and the attacks put strain on the kingdom's aviation, tourism and connectivity ambitions. The Houthi warning to international airlines, which exempts only the airports serving Mecca and Medina, draws a line through the Saudi network that carriers will have to weigh in their own risk assessments.
The next milestones are concrete: a reopening date for King Khalid, which has not been set, and Delta's October 23 Riyadh launch, which sits just days after the strikes.
