Repeated Yemeni Strikes Close Riyadh's King Khalid Airport, Saudi Officials Cite Dwindling Interceptors
Why It MattersA prolonged shutdown of the kingdom's main hub, with foreign carriers suspending service and the FAA warning airlines, pushes international and business-aviation traffic toward other Gulf airports and routings.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh has been hit five times since Tuesday, October 6, by Saudi authorities' own count. On Saturday, a missile struck the airport, killing at least 13 people and wounding more than 300, according to the kingdom. On Sunday, another projectile set Terminal 4 on fire, and on Monday the Saudi civil aviation authority extended the airport's shutdown.
Cirium reported that 99.7 percent of scheduled flights at King Khalid were canceled on Sunday, and Flightradar24 showed no aircraft over the city. Lufthansa Group suspended its Riyadh service through October 16, Air France-KLM through the end of the month, and Etihad extended its Saudi cancellations again. The FAA warned American carriers about Saudi airspace, and Washington, London, Berlin and Madrid advised their citizens to stay away from the airport. The Riyadh metro stopped serving two airport stations. Saudi officials have told the Wall Street Journal they are running low on interceptors.
In an October 11 statement, Yemeni Brigadier General Yahya Saree said Yemeni forces carried out four operations in 24 hours: three waves against King Khalid, a direct hit on King Fahd Airport in Dammam, and fires at Aramco's Shedgum and Tanajib facilities in the Eastern Province. He said Saudi airports and airspace are unsafe, exempting only Mecca and Medina, and held Riyadh responsible for any failed interception.
