RUH Update: Riyadh Airport Reopens Terminals 1 and 2 to Saudi Airlines; Foreign Carriers Still Out

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — October 25, 2026 — Update to our earlier Riyadh coverage. King Khalid International Airport (RUH) restarted flights on Sunday, October 25, after about two weeks shut following the October 10 Houthi-claimed attack near the airport. The restart is partial: only two terminals are open, and only Saudi airlines are flying for now.

What changed

Terminal 1: domestic flights.
Terminal 2: international flights flown by Saudi national carriers.
The airport announced the arrangement in a travel advisory on Saturday, October 24. It named no airlines and published no schedule.
The notice said nothing about the airport’s other terminals. Their reopening date is TBA.
Passengers with confirmed bookings are told to contact their airline to check the booking and flight status before heading to the airport.
The attack killed 12 or 13 people, depending on the report, and injured more than 300.

Foreign airlines: still suspended

Foreign carriers are not back yet and plan to return on different dates. These are the dates published as of October 24–25:

Airline	Riyadh status
Air India / Air India Express	Suspended until November 7 (Dammam until Nov 7; Jeddah until Oct 31)
IndiGo	Cancelled until October 31 (Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah also until Oct 31)
Akasa Air	Suspended until November 30
KLM	Resumes November 1 (Dammam also Nov 1)
British Airways	Resumes November 3 (one daily flight)
Etihad	Abu Dhabi–Riyadh cancelled through November 5
Air France	Not before November 7
Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Edelweiss	Suspended through November 18 (Dammam until Nov 30)
flydubai	Suspended until October 29
Emirates	Riyadh flights EK815/817/819 listed as cancelled; end date TBA
Cathay Pacific	Cancelled through January 31, 2027

Air India and Air India Express are offering one free rebooking or a full refund. Riyadh and Dammam passengers originally booked up to November 7 can travel until November 21.

Riyadh Air via Al Qassim

Riyadh Air’s own travel page, as reported by AeroCorner, says its London, Cairo, Jeddah, Dhaka, Lahore and Islamabad flights operate from Al Qassim Airport (ELQ) from October 25 “until further notice.” Passengers check in and drop bags at a Riyadh hotel and ride a free coach to ELQ, about 4.5 hours away. The coach leaves 6 hours 15 minutes before departure. ELQ departures have no online check-in and no connections. Ask Riyadh Air which airport your flight now uses, because the airline’s page and the airport’s reopening notice could change again.

Security situation

Hours after the reopening was announced, a Houthi spokesman again called the airport a “military target” and warned airlines, airport workers and travelers to stay away. Saudi air defenses reported intercepting a ballistic missile headed for Riyadh and a drone in the Riyadh region. The US State Department’s Level 3 “Reconsider Travel” advisory for Saudi Arabia, updated October 23, is still in force.

What it means for non-revs

Foreign-carrier passes into RUH are still off. Until each foreign airline’s return date above, the only way into Riyadh by air is on a Saudi carrier. Check that your pass or interline agreement covers the Saudi airline you plan to use.
Loads will be tight. Two weeks of stranded passengers and a two-terminal operation mean full flights. Standby chances on the first domestic and international Saudi flights will be slim.
Confirm the terminal and the airport. Domestic flights use T1 and international flights use T2. Some Riyadh Air flights are routed through Al Qassim, about 4.5 hours away by road.
Consider other gateways. Jeddah and Dammam have also had suspensions with their own end dates. Check each one before building a routing through them.
Check your company’s travel restrictions. Because of the fresh threats against the airport, check your own airline’s policy on employee travel to Saudi Arabia and the State Department advisory before you list.