Houthi attacks grounded 86% of Riyadh flights in two weeks, aviation data shows
About 86% of scheduled flights at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport — 4,071 of 4,736 — were cancelled between October 8 and 25, aviation analytics firm Cirium said, as Houthi attacks emptied the skies over the Saudi capital.
Attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have nearly emptied the skies over Riyadh this month, aviation data showed on Monday, with cancellations grounding almost nine out of every 10 scheduled flights at the Saudi capital’s airport.
About 86% of scheduled flights at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, or 4,071 out of 4,736, were cancelled between October 8 and October 25, according to the latest data from aviation analytics firm Cirium, Reuters reported.
The Houthis have stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia this month, targeting airports, ports and oil facilities with ballistic missiles and drones. Riyadh’s airport, the kingdom’s second-busiest after Jeddah, has been struck repeatedly, including an attack on October 10 that killed 13 people, the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade, according to Reuters.
Saudi authorities partially reopened the airport on Sunday after a halt that had started on October 10. Domestic flights resumed from Terminal 1, while national carriers were allowed to operate international services from Terminal 2.
The Houthis said they had attacked Riyadh’s airport again on Monday, calling it a “military target”, Reuters reported. The attacks have prompted international airlines to suspend services to the Saudi capital into November, while Delta Air Lines has postponed the launch of its Riyadh route until next year.
The disruption has forced several events in Riyadh to be cancelled or postponed, including Saudi Arabia’s marquee investment conference, as flight cancellations hamper travel to and across the kingdom, Reuters reported.
The upheaval spread beyond the Saudi capital. More than 7,800 flights, or 45% of all scheduled departures from Saudi airports, were cancelled between October 8 and October 25, according to Cirium. The peak came on October 12, when cancellations exceeded 60% of scheduled flights nationwide.
Several major airports recorded severe disruption, including Riyadh at 86%, Dammam at 42% and Abha at 46.7%, where the Houthis have claimed strikes. A number of smaller regional airports saw the vast majority of flights cancelled, including Najran, near the Yemeni border, where all flights were cancelled.
This story follows Flip News’ coverage of the Saudi coalition’s interception of a Houthi missile aimed at Riyadh earlier on Monday.
Sources
- Reuters: “How Houthi attacks have grounded flights across Saudi Arabia”, 26 October 2026 — https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/how-houthi-attacks-have-grounded-flights-across-saudi-arabia-2026-10-26/
More on this topic: all World stories
