Houthi Attack on Saudi Airport Disrupts Flights

The Houthis attacked Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Tuesday and Wednesday, causing 3 deaths and 36 injuries according to Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation. According to data from aviation analysis company Cirium, 312 of the 1,194 flights departing Saudi Arabia on Thursday were canceled or did not take off, more than a quarter of the total. Subsequent reports said Saudi authorities stated that the October 10 attack caused at least 12 deaths and more than 300 injuries, and operations at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport were suspended again; Yemen's Houthis claimed responsibility for the earlier attack. Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation stated on local time the 11th that King Khalid International Airport was attacked on the night of the 10th, causing at least 12 deaths and 309 injuries; the deceased included four Saudi citizens and one each of Bangladeshi, American, Egyptian, Jordanian, Syrian, Palestinian, and Sudanese nationalities, and all the injured were receiving treatment in hospitals, some in critical condition; the attack also caused property damage, and the losses are still being assessed. Delta Air Lines had originally planned to launch a direct flight from Atlanta to Riyadh on October 23, which would be the first time a U.S. airline operates this route. Yemen's Houthis acknowledged carrying out the attack, explicitly listed Saudi airports and airspace as targets, and warned international airlines and travelers to stay away. Delta Air Lines said on Monday that due to successive attacks on airports in Saudi Arabia, it will postpone the launch of the route to March 2027. Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation latest announced that the operational suspension at King Khalid International Airport is extended, closed until 00:00 Saudi local time on October 18, and it has not yet been confirmed whether commercial flights can resume at that time; on October 11, the terminal was hit again, causing 1 death and 11 injuries.