Riyadh Air Moves Flights to Al Qassim, 400 km From Riyadh, Restarting October 25

October 24, 2026 — Riyadh Air, the Saudi start-up still ramping up its launch, will restart a limited schedule on Sunday, October 25, but not from its home airport. Its flights will run from Al Qassim Airport (ELQ), roughly 400 km (about 250 miles) northwest of Riyadh, with a free coach linking the capital to the aircraft.

What happened

Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport (RUH) has been hit by repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks this month. A direct hit on the terminal on October 10 shut the airport, and reports put the toll at 15 killed and more than 300 injured. RUH reopened on a restricted basis on October 18: every arrival and departure now needs prior permission from Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority, and it cannot be planned as a diversion airport. Reports differ on how much passenger flying has returned there. After the attack Riyadh Air halted operations and flew its new Boeing 787-9s out of the city.

Riyadh Air now says selected flights will “temporarily operate via Al Qassim.” No end date has been given (TBA).

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Getting to the airplane

Riyadh Air gives passengers two options:

• Check in at Riyadh and ride the coach. Check-in is at the InterContinental Durrat Al Riyadh. It opens 8 hours 15 minutes before departure and closes 6 hours 30 minutes before. The free coach leaves 6 hours 15 minutes before the flight, takes about 4 hours 30 minutes, and reaches Al Qassim about 1 hour 45 minutes before departure. Show your boarding pass to board the coach.
• Go straight to Al Qassim. The drive is about 4 hours. Check-in at ELQ opens 3 hours before departure and closes 1 hour 15 minutes before.

The airline’s travel-update page has FAQs on changes, cancellations and missed coaches; the specific rebooking and refund terms were not shown in what we reviewed (TBA).

The bigger picture

Other carriers have also scaled back Saudi service. Lufthansa Group has suspended Riyadh through November 18, KLM through October 31, Philippine Airlines through November 29 and Cathay Pacific through January 31, 2027, and Delta has pushed its Atlanta–Riyadh launch to March 2027. Paddle Your Own Kanoo notes that Al Qassim is still within range of Houthi missiles. On October 21 the U.S. Embassy urged Americans to use “extreme caution” when flying from any Saudi airport.

What it means for non-revs

• Treat Riyadh as off the map for now. With RUH on a permission-only basis and many foreign carriers suspended into November or later, there are very few practical options into Riyadh itself.
• Budget a full day for an Al Qassim departure. The coach option means checking in more than eight hours before departure. If you are travelling on any discounted or space-available arrangement with Riyadh Air, miss the coach or the flight and you could be stuck with a long trip and few alternatives on a thin schedule.
• Expect tight seats on the six routes. One airline’s passengers are being squeezed onto a handful of flights from a regional airport. Assume flights will be full and have a paid backup.
• Check government advice first. The U.S. Embassy warning covers all Saudi airports, and the security picture is changing day to day.

Sources

• Riyadh Air — Riyadh Air Flights Via Al Qassim From 25 October 2026
• Paddle Your Own Kanoo — Riyadh Air is No Longer Based in Riyadh: Airline Relocates to Airport 400 km North to Keep Limited Flights Operating
• One Mile at a Time — Riyadh Air Moves Flights To Al Qassim Airport, A 4.5-Hour Bus Ride From Riyadh
• Aerospace Global News — Which airlines are still cancelling Riyadh flights after airport reopens?