Saudia Cancels Most Riyadh Departures After Airport Attacks; Foreign Airlines Pull Flights

October 8, 2026 — Saudia cancelled about seven in ten of its Riyadh departures on Thursday after a third day of Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports. Air India, Air India Express and Philippine Airlines have dropped Riyadh flights through at least October 10.

What happened

Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority (GACA) says attacks on Abha International and Riyadh’s King Khalid International on October 6 and 7 killed three people and injured 36. Both airports were damaged; GACA gave no detail.

On Thursday, October 8, the Houthis claimed a new ballistic missile strike on King Khalid. Flight tracking showed arrivals and departures halted, and a witness quoted by AP reported explosions and passengers being told to leave the terminal. In the reports available, Saudi authorities had not confirmed a hit; the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a missile north of Riyadh. The Houthis also warned international airlines to stop using Saudi airspace.

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GACA has not announced a formal closure. The airport has stopped and restarted several times this week, and a date for normal operations is TBA.

Cirium data published by Gulf News and Bloomberg show the scale at Riyadh as of 4:25 p.m. local time on October 8. In total, 169 of 378 departures (44.7%) and 124 of 369 arrivals (33.6%) were cancelled or not operating.

What other airlines are doing:

• Air India and Air India Express: all Riyadh flights cancelled until October 10, with refunds or free rescheduling.
• Philippine Airlines: Manila–Riyadh on October 8 and the October 10 return cancelled; Gulf News reports cancellations until at least October 11.
• Singapore Airlines: Riyadh launch moved from December 1, 2026 to March 28, 2027, the third delay.
• flydubai and Air Arabia: Abha flights cancelled on October 7 and 8. Air Arabia expected to operate normally on October 9; flydubai has given no date.
• Earlier suspensions still in force: Cathay Pacific (Riyadh and Dubai, to January 31, 2027), KLM and Air France (Riyadh, to October 24), British Airways (Riyadh returns November 3).

No statement or rebooking waiver from Saudia, flynas or Riyadh Air was found. EASA advised airlines on September 30 to avoid part of the Jeddah flight information region and to use caution elsewhere in Saudi airspace.

What it means for non-revs

• Treat Riyadh as closed to standby for now. With most Saudia departures cancelled, displaced revenue passengers will fill the remaining seats for days.
• Do not start a trip that connects through Riyadh. Operations have halted without warning on three straight days, and the reopening outlook is TBA.
• India–Riyadh and Manila–Riyadh are out until at least October 10 and 11.
• ZED travellers on Saudia, flynas or flyadeal should confirm the flight is operating before going to the airport; no published waiver was found.
• One caution on what you may read: some headlines say an aircraft was hit. None of the reports we could open confirm that.

Sources

• Gulf News / Bloomberg, Airlines cancel flights to Riyadh after Houthi attack on airport
• AeroTime, Three killed, 36 injured in attacks on Riyadh and Abha airports
• Airways Magazine, Riyadh Airport Flights Halted After Explosions; Houthis Claim Attack
• Gulf Business, More than 150 Riyadh airport flights cancelled following attacks
• Siasat / PTI, AI Express, AI cancel Riyadh flights till Oct 10
• Khaleej Times, Philippine Airlines cancels flights to Riyadh following Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
• Mainly Miles, Singapore Airlines pushes Riyadh launch back to March 2027
• The National, Saudi Arabia flights: Airlines including British Airways and KLM suspend or cancel routes
• Khaleej Times, UAE flight updates: Which flights are cancelled, delayed?