Houthi strikes leave Riyadh skies nearly empty

The skies over Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, were largely empty on Monday (October 12) after deadly attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group on King Khalid International Airport, with around 60 per cent of scheduled flights expected to be cancelled, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. 

The airport, Saudi Arabia’s second-busiest after Jeddah, cancelled 99.7 per cent of its scheduled flights on Sunday, Cirium data showed. Meanwhile, Flightradar24 estimated that around 78 per cent of flights at the airport were cancelled on Monday, while more than one-third of scheduled flights across the kingdom were expected not to operate. 

The airport has remained closed following two attacks over the weekend. The first strike on Saturday killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, while a second attack on Sunday killed one person and injured nearly a dozen others, according to reports citing Saudi authorities.

The attacks have caused major disruption to Saudi Arabia’s aviation sector, forcing airlines across Europe and Asia to suspend services. The US Federal Aviation Administration has advised American carriers to exercise caution when flying to or over Saudi Arabia.