RUH Update: Riyadh Airport Closed Until at Least October 17 After Fourth Strike; Delta Pushes Riyadh Launch to March 2027

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, October 13, 2026 — Update to our October 12 story. King Khalid International Airport (RUH) now has a published closure window: a notice to pilots (NOTAM) keeps it shut until at least October 17. A fourth strike in five days hit the domestic terminals on Sunday night, and Delta has pushed its planned Atlanta–Riyadh launch back to March 2027.

What changed since Monday

Closure now runs to at least October 17: the NOTAM closes the airport until 21:00 UTC on October 17 (midnight local time), Air Data News reports, and Reuters carried the same date on Tuesday. That is not a promised reopening date. Confirmed reopening: TBA.
Sunday night strike: at about 8:30 p.m. local time on Sunday, October 11, a projectile hit terminals 3 and 4, which handle domestic flights, and struck the apron near parked aircraft, starting a fire, Al Jazeera reports. Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority (GACA) said one person was killed and 11 were injured. Al Jazeera called it the fourth strike on the airport in five days.
Death toll from Saturday: the toll from the October 10 attack has risen to 13, according to Al Jazeera and Air Data News.
Delta postpones Riyadh: Delta’s Atlanta–Riyadh nonstop, due to start October 23, is now planned for March 2027, Airline Geeks reports. Customers booked on it can review options, including a refund, on Delta’s website and app.
Scale of the disruption: Cirium counted 486 of 1,048 scheduled departures from Saudi airports on Monday as cancelled or not operated as of 4 p.m. local time, and Flightradar24 data showed about 78% of Monday’s Riyadh flights cancelled, according to Air Data News. Riyadh normally handles about 700 flights a day.

Airline suspensions reported

Airline	What is affected	Through
Lufthansa Group	Riyadh flights suspended	Oct 16
Air France-KLM	Riyadh services cancelled	End of October
Philippine Airlines	Riyadh suspension extended	Nov 29
IndiGo	Riyadh and Dammam flights	Oct 15
Air India Express	Riyadh services	Oct 15
flydubai	Riyadh, Dammam and Abha flights	Oct 14
Etihad	Saudi Arabia services halted	TBA
Delta	Planned Atlanta–Riyadh launch	Postponed to March 2027

Dates are as reported by Air Data News on October 12 and Airline Geeks for Delta. Airlines are changing them daily; check the carrier directly.

Other Saudi airports

Jeddah (JED) and Dammam (DMM) are the other main international gateways, but Air Data News notes they cannot fully replace Riyadh, and airlines have also cut flights at other Saudi airports.
There is no government program moving Riyadh passengers to other airports, according to Air Data News.
The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Saudi airports, except Medina, Air Data News reports.

What it means for non-revs

Write off RUH until at least October 18. The NOTAM runs to midnight on October 17, and repeated strikes mean it could be extended again.
When it reopens, expect almost no standby seats. A week of stranded passengers will fill the first flights out for days.
Do not count on Jeddah or Dammam as a workaround. Flights there are also being cut, and schedules are changing at short notice.
Gulf hubs will stay busy. Rebooked Saudi passengers are moving through Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. Expect tighter loads on onward flights from those hubs.
Delta employees: the October 23 ATL–RUH launch is off; the new target is March 2027.