Saudi Arabia airspace warning widened after Houthi airport attacks

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has expanded its airspace warning for Saudi Arabia to include northwestern areas and advised airlines to avoid flying there following attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, Reuters reported.

EASA said the attacks demonstrated the Houthis’ capability and willingness to strike deep inside Saudi territory, including the capital.

“Repeated missile and drone attacks, together with the activation of air defence systems, have greatly increased the risk of commercial aircraft being misidentified, as well as the risks posed by missiles and drones passing through the airspace and falling military debris,” the agency warned.

OPSGROUP, a network of almost 10,000 aviation professionals, also issued a “Do not fly” warning.

Citing missile risks and possible misjudgement, it advised members to avoid all flight operations in Saudi Arabia, including using Saudi airports as alternate airports along flight routes.

Saudi authorities said Saturday’s attack killed at least 12 people and injured 309.

The dead included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis and one person each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt.

Some of the injured were in a serious condition.

The strike occurred without any warning from Saudi Arabia’s alert system and was the airport’s third attack in a week.

Earlier attacks had severely damaged a Saudi commercial aircraft parked on the apron.

The Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for Saturday’s strike and had also acknowledged firing two cruise missiles at the airport in the earlier attacks, threatening further attacks on airlines flying to Saudi Arabia.

Flights cancelled as airport operations suspended

Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said the airport temporarily suspended operations and all inbound flights to Riyadh were diverted.

King Khalid is the country’s second-busiest airport by passenger traffic after Jeddah, handling 296,800 flights in 2025, or about 813 a day.

The Lufthansa Group and three Indian airlines announced immediate cancellations of Riyadh flights.

Etihad Airways cancelled eight flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, while flydubai cancelled services to Riyadh and Yanbu through October 10 and to Abha through October 11.

Flightradar24 recorded at least 131 cancelled flights to and from Riyadh by Friday afternoon, following hundreds of cancellations the previous day.

The US Embassy in Riyadh advised American citizens to avoid the airport and surrounding areas.

President Donald Trump said the United States might join Saudi Arabia in strikes against the Houthis and that he would assess the situation and decide quickly.

Yemen conflict flares again

The head of the Houthis’ media office declared Saudi airspace a military operations zone after the Saudi-backed Yemeni government launched attacks on the group earlier in the week.

The government’s offensive aimed to retake territory around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic maritime route in the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia entered the Yemen war in 2015, leading an Arab coalition against the Houthis.

The prolonged conflict reached a stalemate, with hundreds of thousands of Yemenis dying from fighting and starvation.

The airport attacks raised concerns about international travel ahead of major energy and investment meetings that Riyadh is due to host.

Organisers confirmed on Saturday that the events would proceed as scheduled and reassured participants about security measures.