US Embassy in Saudi Arabia: Government Employees Need Special Authorisation to Use Any Saudi Airport After Missile and Drone Attacks
Why It MattersRestricting official travel through every Saudi airport signals that Washington rates the kingdom's airspace as a live security risk, which can reshape routing, crew and charter decisions across the Gulf.
The United States embassy in Saudi Arabia has said that US government employees working in the kingdom require special authorisation from the Chief of Mission to use any airport in Saudi Arabia. The embassy linked the requirement to recent missile and drone (UAV) attacks on airports in the kingdom. The attacks have been attributed to Yemen's Houthis, and the group has said it targeted Riyadh airport with a ballistic missile.
In a security alert, the embassy reminded US citizens to follow the national alerts released by Saudi Arabia's Civil Defence via cellular broadcast. It warned of potential attacks on airports, airspace closures, flight cancellations and other travel disruptions, and urged US citizens to exercise "extreme caution" if they choose to use Saudi airports. The embassy also recommended checking flight departure status directly with the airline and with the airport.
