Houthi Attacks Cancel 86% of Flights at Riyadh Airport

4,071 scheduled flights were canceled at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh between October 8 and October 25, according to data released Monday by aviation analytics firm Cirium. The cancellations accounted for 86% of the 4,736 total scheduled flights during that period.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have increased attacks on Saudi Arabia using ballistic missiles and drones. Their targets include airports, ports, and oil facilities. An attack on Riyadh’s airport on October 10 killed 13 people, making it the deadliest incident in the kingdom 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. National carriers were allowed to operate international services from Terminal 2.

The reopening was short-lived. On Monday, the Houthis announced they had struck Riyadh’s airport again. They described the location as a military target. International airlines have suspended services to the Saudi capital through November. Delta Air Lines delayed the start of its Riyadh route until next year.

The disruption has affected events across the city. Several gatherings in Riyadh were canceled or postponed, including Saudi Arabia’s major investment conference. Travel difficulties within the kingdom contributed to these changes.

The impact extended to the rest of the country. Cirium data shows more than 7,800 flights were canceled between October 8 and October 25. This represented 45% of all scheduled departures from Saudi airports. Cancellations peaked on October 12, when more than 60% of scheduled flights nationwide were scrapped.

Other airports reported high cancellation rates. Dammam saw 42% of flights canceled. Abha, where the Houthis claimed strikes, had 46.7% of flights canceled. Najran, located near the Yemeni border, canceled every flight. Some smaller regional airports also lost most of their services.