Saudi Arabia Suspends Flights At Riyadh Airport Following Missile Attack
The disruption halts commercial aviation across the Saudi capital as regional tensions rise following renewed cross-border strikes against civilian infrastructure.
Saudi authorities suspended flight operations at King Khalid International Airport on Saturday afternoon after an attack struck the facility and injured multiple people.
A diplomatic source said a missile hit the Riyadh airport around 3:00 p.m. local time. The source attributed the strike to Yemen’s Houthi movement. Saudi Arabia's automated early warning alert systems did not sound before the blast.
Eyewitnesses reported an incoming projectile, a loud explosion and falling ceiling debris near departure gates. One witness reported seeing domestic terminal gate 401 struck directly, observing wounded travelers on the floor.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation said officials were still assessing total casualties. A local hospital source reported that at least five individuals were in intensive care, and dozens were injured by shattered glass and flying debris. Two physicians confirmed that religious pilgrims traveling to Mecca were among the wounded.
More than a dozen ambulances reported to the airfield, and authorities evacuated parts of the domestic passenger terminal. A medical source said the Saudi Ministry of Health enacted emergency protocols requiring emergency room doctors across the capital to report for duty.
Flight tracking data recorded the final commercial arrival at 2:05 p.m. before suspensions took effect. Inbound flights diverted primarily toward Jeddah. Regional carriers including Kuwait Airways, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways canceled scheduled flights.
The civil aviation authority described the incident as part of continuing attacks targeting civilian aviation facilities. The Houthi movement did not immediately claim responsibility. The group had declared Saudi airspace an active zone of military operations earlier in the month.
Diplomatic missions representing Britain, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Spain and the United States warned their citizens to avoid the airport. President Donald Trump said the United States was reviewing the attack. Trump said his administration was contemplating whether to join Saudi retaliatory military strikes against the Houthis.
Cross-border attacks increased after a ceasefire between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government collapsed in July. A strike on the Riyadh airport on Thursday killed three people, including a Saudia pilot. An earlier attack on Abha International Airport killed three foreign residents and injured over 30 people.
Saudi civil aviation authorities said they will provide updates on flight resumptions once safety evaluations conclude. Organizers of energy and investment summits scheduled in Riyadh later this month said conferences will proceed while security protocols are evaluated.
