Airlines halt services to Saudi Arabia after airport attacks

[RIYADH] Airlines are cancelling hundreds of flights to Riyadh after Houthi militants struck two Saudi Arabia airports in recent days, killing three people and injuring dozens.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) postponed the launch of its services to the Saudi capital until Mar 28, citing the conflict in the Middle East. Indigo, Air India and Philippine Airlines all halted flights to the city, the latter until at least Oct 11.

About 300 flights set to depart or land at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh were cancelled on Thursday (Oct 8), according to analytics firm Cirium. The majority of the disruptions affected national carrier Saudia and budget airline Flynas.

Operations at Riyadh’s airport have shut down for several hours and restarted multiple times during the past few days as incoming attacks from the Yemen-based Houthis make it unsafe for planes to land or take off from there. Abha airport in the south-west of Saudi Arabia was also targeted.

The Houthi attacks came as the Iran-backed group faces a ground offensive from a Saudi-led coalition in neighbouring Yemen. Soldiers from the internationally recognised Yemeni government and the Saudi air force are working to take back territory won by the militant group over the past month near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The conflict has escalated since early September, with the Houthis targeting Saudi Arabia almost daily. The kingdom’s Civil Defense spokesperson said on Thursday that debris from an intercepted Houthi ballistic missile caused material damage to a kindergarten and medical clinic complex in Riyadh, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

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Last week, Cathay Pacific Airways extended cancellation of its flights to Dubai and Riyadh through to Jan 31. 

Several American and European carriers still avoid flying to the Middle East since Iran started targeting countries in the Gulf earlier this year. 

Disruptions over large swathes of the region have become common since the start of hostilities between Israel and neighbouring nations three years ago. During that time, Saudi Arabia’s airspace has become a vital corridor for flights diverting from riskier skies over Iran, Jordan, Iraq and Syria. BLOOMBERG