KLM Extends Riyadh and Dammam Flight Suspensions Until December 27 Amid Houthi Attacks
Why It MattersExtended carrier withdrawals from Saudi Arabia's main airports and the Gulf shift passenger demand and capacity onto the remaining operators and routes in the region.
KLM has extended its flight cancellations to Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia amid tensions in the Middle East. The Dutch airline will not operate flights to either city until December 27, one month longer than its previous schedule, under which the suspensions were due to run until the end of November. KLM had already announced last month that it would not operate flights from Amsterdam to Dubai until the end of March.
The extension comes amid renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. On Sunday, a strike damaged an administrative building belonging to Saudi Aramco in Riyadh's financial district. According to the Saudi-led military coalition, Saudi air defences intercepted missiles heading towards the capital on both Tuesday and Wednesday, including three cruise missiles on Wednesday.
Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport was also repeatedly targeted in October. One Houthi attack killed 13 people and injured more than 300. The airport was closed on October 10 and partially reopened for domestic flights on October 21, although international airlines continued to suspend services. An assault on King Fahd International Airport in the city on October 21 killed one Saudi resident and injured eight others, according to Saudi authorities. The airport sustained material damage, and incoming flights were diverted.
