All the airlines suspending flights after Houthi attacks on Riyadh airport

October 9, 2026

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All the airlines suspending flights after Houthi attacks on Riyadh airport

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Europe’s EASA aviation safety body has expanded the area of Saudi Arabian airspace where it recommends airlines not operate, after Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis attacked Riyadh airport.

Updating a conflict zone bulletin first published on 30 September, the EU regulator said recent attacks demonstrated the Houthis’ ability and intent to hit targets deeper within Saudi territory, including the capital.

EASA has added an area in northwestern Saudi Arabia to the advisory.

Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said earlier on Friday that three Saudi nationals were killed and several people injured in two attacks on King Khalid International Airport on Thursday.

The Houthis have renewed threats against airlines flying to Saudi Arabia and said on Thursday they had struck the capital’s airport with two cruise missiles.

EASA said: “These recurrent missile and drone attacks, together with the activation of air-defence systems, create an increased risk of misidentification of civil aircraft, as well as risks associated with missile and drone overflights, interception activity and falling debris”.

Smoke and flames rise from King Khalid Airport, after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis said they attacked the airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 8, 2026 (Social media)

OPSGROUP, a membership-based organisation with almost 10,000 aviation professionals that shares flight risk information, sent a “do not fly” warning for Saudi Arabia to its members on Friday, citing risks of sustained missile attacks and “misjudgment” in defensive responses.

“We now recommend avoiding operations in Saudi Arabia entirely, including the use of Saudi airports as en route alternates,” it said in the memo shared with Reuters.

Lufthansa, Indian Airlines suspend flights

Following Thursday’s attacks, Lufthansa Group and three Indian airlines said they would suspend flights to Riyadh expected in the coming days.

King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh is Saudi Arabia’s second-busiest airport after Jeddah.

Following Thursday’s attacks, Lufthansa Group and three Indian airlines said they would suspend flights to Riyadh expected in the coming days (Reuters)

According to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics, it handled 296,800 flights in 2025, equivalent to about 813 a day.

Meanwhile, Global flight tracker FlightRadar24 showed 131 flights to and from Riyadh had been cancelled by 13:05pm (GMT) on Friday, following hundreds of cancellations the day before.