Cirium data reveals King Khalid airport lost 86% of flights after Houthi strikes

Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that 4,071 scheduled flights were canceled at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh between October 8 and October 25. This figure represents roughly 86% of the 4,736 flights originally planned for that period. The cancellations followed a series of missile and drone attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis.

The Houthis have targeted Saudi infrastructure, including airports, ports, and oil facilities, in recent weeks. An attack on October 10 killed 13 people, which marks the deadliest incident in the kingdom in more than a decade. Saudi authorities partially reopened the airport on Sunday after a halt that began on October 10.

Domestic flights resumed from Terminal 1, while national carriers were allowed to operate international services from Terminal 2. The reopening was short-lived. On Monday, the Houthis announced a new attack on Riyadh's airport, which they described as a military target. This latest strike follows the previous halt in operations.

The disruption has extended across the country. Cirium data indicates that more than 7,800 flights were canceled at Saudi airports between October 8 and October 25. This accounts for 45% of all scheduled departures nationwide. The peak of cancellations occurred on October 12, when more than 60% of scheduled flights were scrapped.

Other major airports experienced significant losses in service. Dammam recorded a 42% cancellation rate, while Abha saw 46.7% of flights canceled. Some smaller regional airports lost most of their services. At Najran, located near the Yemeni border, every scheduled flight was canceled during the two-week period.

The aviation turmoil has affected other sectors in the capital. Several events in Riyadh have been canceled or postponed due to travel difficulties. These changes include the postponement of Saudi Arabia's major investment conference. International airlines have suspended services to the Saudi capital through November, and Delta Air Lines has delayed the launch of its Riyadh route until next year.