Houthis Vastly Reduce Riyadh Airport Capacity

Riyadh's main airport has lost the vast majority of its scheduled traffic this month.

Missile and drone strikes by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have emptied the skies over the Saudi capital. Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported on Monday that 4,071 of 4,736 scheduled flights at King Khalid International Airport were canceled between October 8 and October 25. This represents an 86% cancellation rate for the period.

The Houthis have escalated their campaign against Saudi infrastructure in recent weeks. They have used ballistic missiles and drones to target airports, ports, and oil facilities. King Khalid International, the second-busiest airport in the kingdom after Jeddah, has faced repeated hits. An attack on October 10 killed 13 people, marking the deadliest incident in the country in over a decade.

Saudi authorities partially reopened the airport on Sunday after a halt that began on October 10. Domestic flights resumed from Terminal 1, while national carriers were allowed to run international services from Terminal 2. However, the Houthis claimed a fresh attack on the airport on Monday. They described the facility as a military target in their statement.

International airlines have suspended services to the Saudi capital into November. Delta Air Lines has delayed the launch of its Riyadh route until next year. The disruption has extended beyond aviation, prompting the cancellation or postponement of several events in the capital. These include Saudi Arabia's major investment conference, as travel within the kingdom becomes increasingly difficult.

The disruption has spread across the entire country. Cirium data shows that more than 7,800 flights, or 45% of all scheduled departures from Saudi airports, were canceled between October 8 and October 25. Cancellations peaked on October 12, when more than 60% of scheduled flights nationwide were scrapped.

Other major airports have also seen substantial losses. Dammam recorded a 42% cancellation rate, while Abha, which the Houthis have claimed as a strike target, saw 46.7% of flights canceled. Some smaller regional airports lost nearly all services. At Najran, located near the Yemeni border, every scheduled flight was canceled during the period.