War
Details
Event title
Yemen - Riyadh airport closure extended after Houthi attacks
Source
Main event
Event date (UTC)
2026-10-12 13:39:20
Last update (UTC)
2026-10-25 05:59:08
Severity
High
Area range
Multiple countries wide event
Address/Affected area(s)
Yemen and Saudi Arabia
Saudi authorities have extended the suspension of operations at Riyadh's international airport following a series of deadly Houthi attacks.
Recent strikes on the airport have killed at least 18 people, including 13 on Saturday in the deadliest attack on the country in more than a decade, which also left hundreds wounded.
An Irish national, who was caught up in the attack, said he was "lucky to be alive".
The General Authority of Civil Aviation in a statement announced "the extension of the suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport".
It said the extension was needed to "complete the necessary procedures to verify the safety of the facilities and their operational readiness".
The authority did not specify when operations would resume.
A senior aviation source who oversees flights to the Gulf for an airline said operations would be halted for the remainder of the working week in Saudi Arabia, according to messages sent to the carrier from Saudi aviation authorities.
"They told us it would be until at least Thursday. There are no flights until the end of the week," the source told AFP.
A senior official from the Riyadh Metro also told AFP that authorities had suspended transport services to three stations serving the airport.