A passenger plane was reportedly hit on Thursday at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's main international gateway, after Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed a new ballistic missile strike on the airport. Smoke was seen rising over the airfield, and the airport was reportedly closed, according to reports from several outlets.
Images shared online appear to show a Saudia jet on fire, though Contrail hasn't independently verified them. Saudi authorities hadn't confirmed the attack, any damage to aircraft or any injuries at the time of writing.
The reported strike caps a week of attacks on Saudi airports. The Houthis have targeted four of them since Monday, and Saudi aviation authorities say three people have been killed and dozens injured.
Breaking · Saudi Arabia
Saudi Airports Attacked This Week
Figures from Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation. Check your flight status before traveling.
Contrail
What's Confirmed
According to Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation:
- Jazan and Najran: both airports in the south were attacked on Monday evening. Three people were injured, and both suffered damage.
- Abha: attacks on the southern airport killed two women, from Morocco and Algeria, and injured 28 people.
- Riyadh: an earlier attack on King Khalid International killed a Sudanese resident and injured eight people.
The authority said emergency teams were deployed immediately and that it was working to assess the damage and make sure facilities were safe.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen said the attacks "will not go unpunished" and that it had struck more than 80 Houthi military sites in response.
A Warning to Airlines
The Houthis are now directly warning airlines. Their military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, told airlines "for the last time" not to keep flying in Saudi airspace, which the group described as a zone for its military operations.
The Houthis have also targeted Aden International Airport in Yemen, where a missile landed near the runway shortly before a passenger flight from Cairo was due to land.
What It Means if You're Flying
If you're flying to, from or through Saudi Arabia in the coming days, check your flight status often and watch for messages from your airline. Airlines decide individually whether to change routes or cancel flights, and those decisions can come quickly as the situation develops.
It's also worth checking your government's travel advice for Saudi Arabia. The US State Department and other governments update their advisories when the security situation changes.
The attacks come at a sensitive moment for Saudi aviation. Riyadh Air, the country's new national airline, has been launching routes from Riyadh at a rapid pace, and Delta's first flight between Atlanta and Riyadh is scheduled for October 23. Contrail will update this story as more is confirmed.
