Riyadh Airport Closure Extended After Deadly Missile Attack

RIYADH — King Khalid International Airport (RUH) remained closed on Sunday, October 11, after a missile attack the previous day. The Associated Press reported that authorities extended the closure, citing Flightradar24.

Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said 12 people were killed and 309 injured, including people in critical condition, according to Saudi Gazette's report on the authority's statement. The dead included four Saudi citizens and eight foreign nationals, including a US citizen.

GACA reported property damage and said operations were suspended while emergency teams and relevant agencies assessed the damage and checked the safety of airport facilities. Its statement, as reported by Saudi Gazette, did not specify the extent of the damage.

AP reported renewed Houthi warnings against using Saudi airports and airspace, with exceptions for airports in Mecca and Medina. The same report said the group did not immediately claim responsibility for Saturday's strike.

Airways previously covered halted flights and an evacuation at the airport on October 8.

Disruption Extends Across the Flight Schedule

A snapshot of Flightradar24's Riyadh departures board, displaying 16:15 Saudi local time on October 11, showed canceled flights alongside scheduled and estimated departures. Those future entries do not establish that services have resumed or that the airport has been cleared to reopen.

Airport Availability and Airspace Risk

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) revised its Saudi airspace bulletin on October 9, before Saturday's attack. It identifies risks to aircraft on the ground and during takeoff and landing, as well as risks from missile and drone activity, interceptions, falling debris, and civil-aircraft misidentification.

The bulletin recommends avoiding two defined portions of the Jeddah flight information region at every altitude and exercising caution elsewhere in that region. It calls for current risk assessments, contingency planning, and close monitoring of aeronautical publications and national authorities' guidance.

The bulletin applies to EASA operators planning flights in the affected airspace. It also applies to EASA-authorized third-country operators when conducting flights under that authorization to, from, or within the European Union. The recommendations do not amount to a closure of all Saudi airspace.

Airport facility checks and the route risk assessments called for by EASA address separate parts of a flight. Clearance to use Riyadh's facilities would still leave operators to assess the surrounding airspace.