Countries issue Saudi Arabia travel advisories after airport attacks
Governments warn travellers over repeated airport attacks in Saudi Arabia, with advice ranging from reconsidering trips to avoiding non-essential travel.
- Several countries, including the US, UK, Australia, and Canada, have issued travel advisories for Saudi Arabia due to repeated Houthi attacks on the kingdom's airports.
- The warnings were prompted by a recent escalation in attacks, with five targeting airports in less than a week, resulting in casualties and flight disruptions.
- The advisories range from reconsidering all travel to avoiding non-essential trips and staying away from specific airports like those in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam.
Several countries have warned their citizens against travelling to Saudi Arabia following repeated Houthi attacks on airports in the kingdom.
Australia and New Zealand became the latest countries to issue such advice on Monday (October 12), joining the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Korea and Japan, which had issued similar warnings earlier.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advised Australians to avoid using King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and to reconsider travel to other airports in Saudi Arabia.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade urged citizens not to travel for any reason to the main gateway to the Saudi capital or to the provinces of Najran, Jazan and Asir. It also advised against non-essential travel to Saudi Arabia.
The US embassy in Riyadh advised American citizens on Sunday (October 11) to reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia, citing threats of attacks by Iran and the Iran-backed Houthis.
Canada’s foreign ministry advised against non-essential travel anywhere in Saudi Arabia.
South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised citizens already in Saudi Arabia to leave unless they had essential duties to fulfil.
It also advised those planning to visit the country to cancel their trips.
The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advised citizens to avoid travelling to Jeddah and Dammam, as well as all airports except Madinah International Airport, unless travel was urgently necessary.
The warnings came as Saudi Arabia faced five airport attacks in less than a week.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) reported that one person was killed and 11 others injured in Sunday’s attack, when an object struck King Khalid International Airport.
An earlier attack on the same airport killed 13 people and injured more than 300, making it the worst attack on Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.
Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 recorded more than 150 flight cancellations and 374 delayed flights at Jeddah airport on Sunday.
