Riyadh Airport Flights Halted After Explosions; Houthis Claim Attack

RIYADH — Departures at King Khalid International Airport (RUH) were halted and passengers told to evacuate on October 8 after explosions were heard in the Saudi capital, including at the airport, according to a witness account reported by The Associated Press.

The witness described smoke and the deployment of fire and ambulance crews. Passengers in the crowded terminal were instructed to leave checked-in luggage behind. AP withheld the witness's name because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

In its report updated at 09:40 EDT, AP also cited Flightradar24 data indicating a halt in arrivals and departures. The number of disrupted flights was unclear.

Reuters separately reported numerous delayed arrivals and departures, citing Flightradar24. Reuters said it could not identify the source of the booms and that the Saudi government had not responded to its request for comment.

Houthis Claim Ballistic Missile Attack

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said they had attacked the airport with a ballistic missile, Reuters reported in an earlier dispatch. There was no immediate Saudi confirmation of that claim. AP reported that the group provided no evidence for its assertion that the missile caused damage.

Reuters said the claim came hours after Saudi Arabia reported that an earlier attack on the same airport had killed one person. That death relates to the earlier attack, not the October 8 explosions.

Disruption at a Domestic and International Gateway

King Khalid handled 37 million passengers and 269,000 flights serving 113 domestic and international destinations in 2024, according to the airport, which is managed by Riyadh Airports Company.

The Riyadh disruption follows a Yemenia Airways (IY) flight bound for Aden International Airport (ADE) that diverted to Jeddah (JED) on October 7. Yemen's Transport Ministry said a missile landed near Aden's runway shortly before the aircraft was due to arrive, prompting authorities to divert the flight and evacuate the terminal.

The AP and Reuters reports reviewed for this story did not establish when Riyadh's flight operations would resume or provide a confirmed assessment of damage from Thursday's explosions.

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