RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, October 12, 2026 — Update to our October 11 story. King Khalid International Airport (RUH) is still closed. On Monday Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority extended the suspension of operations and gave no reopening date. Foreign airlines are now cancelling Riyadh flights for days or weeks, and flights to other Saudi airports are being cut as well.
What changed since Sunday
- Closure extended: the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said on Monday that the suspension continues while it checks the safety and operational readiness of airport sites, The National reports. Reopening date: TBA.
- Disruption spreading across the kingdom: flight-data firm Cirium counted 46.4% of all scheduled flights in Saudi Arabia cancelled as of 4 p.m. UAE time on Monday, according to The National. Some flights to Dammam (DMM), Jeddah (JED) and Abha (AHB) are cancelled too.
- Longer airline suspensions: several carriers now have Riyadh cancellations running into next week or beyond (table below).
- Background: an attack on the airport on Saturday, October 10, killed 12 people and injured more than 300. The Houthi group carried it out, TheStreet reports. Two strikes on October 8 killed three people.
Airline cancellations reported Monday
| Airline | What is cancelled | Through |
|---|---|---|
| Etihad | All Abu Dhabi–Riyadh flights; all Dammam flights Tue–Wed; selected Jeddah flights | Riyadh: Oct 19. Jeddah: Oct 15 |
| flydubai | All Dubai–Riyadh flights, plus Abha and Dammam | Oct 14 (inclusive) |
| Emirates | All six Dubai–Riyadh flights Monday; EK815, EK816, EK817 and EK819 Tuesday | Oct 13 so far (EK818/EK820 Tuesday not yet listed as cancelled) |
| Air Arabia | Sharjah–Riyadh G9151/G9154 and Sharjah–Abha G9195 | Oct 13 |
| Lufthansa Group | All Riyadh flights | Oct 16 |
| Air France-KLM | Riyadh services | End of October |
| IndiGo | Riyadh and Dammam routes | Oct 15 |
| Air India Express | Dammam and Jeddah (Oct 12); Riyadh | Riyadh: Oct 15 |
| Akasa Air | Jeddah and Riyadh | Oct 13 |
| Philippine Airlines | Riyadh | Nov 29 |
| Cathay Pacific | Riyadh | Nov 3 |
| Scoot | Singapore–Jeddah | Dec 2 |
Sources differ on some dates. Reuters listed Etihad’s Saudi suspension as running to October 13; The National’s later report has Riyadh flights cancelled to October 19. TheStreet gives October 15 for Lufthansa; Reuters gives October 16. Check the airline directly.
U.S. service
- No U.S. airline currently flies nonstop to Saudi Arabia, TheStreet notes.
- Delta’s planned Atlanta–Riyadh launch on October 23 is now in question. CEO Ed Bastian said “safety is going to make the call.” A decision: TBA.
What it means for non-revs
- Do not plan any trip through RUH. There is no reopening date, and when the airport does restart, the first flights will be full of passengers stranded since the weekend. Standby odds will be close to zero for days after reopening.
- Other Saudi airports are not a safe workaround. Jeddah, Dammam and Abha flights are also being cancelled. Expect last-minute changes on any Saudi routing.
- Gulf hubs will be crowded. Passengers rebooked off Saudi flights are moving through Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. Expect tighter loads on onward flights from those hubs this week.
- If you hold a confirmed Saudi trip, check before you leave home. Cancellation dates are changing daily, and Etihad called the situation “dynamic.”
- Delta employees: do not count on the ATL–RUH launch date of October 23 until Delta confirms it.
Sources
- The National — “Riyadh airport closure: Etihad cancels flights until October 19” — thenationalnews.com
- Reuters (via Investing.com) — “Factbox-Airlines cancel flights to Saudi Arabia after Riyadh airport attacks” — investing.com
- TheStreet (via Yahoo Finance) — “Airport shut down, international airlines cancel flights after Houthi attack” — finance.yahoo.com
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