> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thecontrail.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Is It Safe to Travel to Saudi Arabia? The US Just Sent Its Own Staff Home - URL: https://www.thecontrail.org/is-it-safe-to-travel-to-saudi-arabia/ - Published: 2026-10-24T15:59:20.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-25T16:51:01.000Z - Description: The US has ordered non-emergency embassy staff and their families out of Saudi Arabia after repeated attacks on the country's airports. What the new travel warning means for anyone flying there. - Author: Zach Benitez - Tags: News, Breaking News, Saudi Crisis ****October 25, 7:45 p.m. in Jeddah:** Flights at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport appear to have paused for about half an hour on Sunday evening, amid unconfirmed reports that operations had been suspended. Flight-tracking data showed no departures from about 7 p.m. to 7:35 p.m. local time, after which takeoffs and landings resumed. Saudi authorities haven’t commented. It came on the same day [Riyadh’s airport reopened](https://www.thecontrail.org/riyadh-airport-reopening-flights-permission/), and after the Houthis warned airlines that Saudi airports are targets. Is it safe to travel to Saudi Arabia right now? The US government is sending a clear signal. The State Department has ordered non-emergency staff at its embassy and consulates in Saudi Arabia, along with their families, to leave the country, and updated its travel warnings for 13 Middle Eastern countries. The order, made Friday, follows weeks of drone and missile attacks that have repeatedly hit Saudi airports, and it's one of the strongest steps the US takes short of telling all Americans to stay away. --- ## What the New Advisory Says Saudi Arabia stays at Level 3, "Reconsider Travel," the second-highest of the State Department's four levels. But the details changed in ways that matter for anyone flying there. The advisory now warns that Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have carried out "attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties," and that the fighting could escalate quickly. US government employees who remain in the country now need special permission to use any Saudi airport, and they're barred from traveling within 20 miles of the Yemen border. They also need approval to visit several cities, including Taif, Yanbu and Jizan. The State Department also points travelers to flight restrictions from the Federal Aviation Administration covering the region, and suggests trains and buses as alternatives to flying within Saudi Arabia. The only part of the country listed as "Do Not Travel" is the area along the Yemen border. Saudi Arabia · Travel Advisory ### What the New US Warning Means for You Advisory level Level 3: Reconsider Travel Embassy families Ordered to leave the country US staff Need permission to use any airport Do not travel Near the Yemen border Oct 10 A missile hits Riyadh's airport and shuts it down. It has only partly reopened. Oct 21 An attack on Dammam's airport kills two people. Oct 23 The US orders non-emergency embassy staff and families to leave. Before you fly Check your flight, your insurance and enroll in STEP. Contrail --- ## Why Now Saudi airports have been targeted again and again this month. Riyadh’s main airport was hit four times between October 7 and October 11, killing at least 20 people, and a missile strike on its terminals on October 10 shut it down. It has only partly reopened, and many international flights still haven’t returned. Dammam’s airport has been targeted twice, most recently on October 21, when an attack killed two people and injured eight. The update to the Middle East advisories says the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia "have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond that immediate area." ![Green Saudi Arabian flag with white Arabic script and a sword, flying against a blue sky](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ac/ed/acedfbb2-ff9c-499b-b431-eb36d7539be1/content/images/2026/10/photo-1663602531282-0b9ec82b7a6e.jpeg) The flag of Saudi Arabia. File photo. Credit: aboodi vesakaran / Unsplash --- ## Jeddah on Saturday Departures at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, the country's main gateway for international travelers and pilgrims, paused for about half an hour on Saturday evening, according to FlightAware data, amid unconfirmed reports of explosions in the city. Flights began taking off again around 6:40 p.m. local time. Saudi authorities haven't commented, and we'll update this story if that changes. --- ## Which Airlines Are Still Flying Saudi airlines, including Saudia, flynas and flyadeal, are still operating to Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. Many foreign airlines have pulled back: - **Lufthansa Group** has suspended Dammam until November 30 and Riyadh until November 18. - **Etihad** has canceled Riyadh and Dammam flights until November 5 and cut its Jeddah schedule. - **KLM** has canceled Riyadh and Dammam through October 31. - **Emirates** has suspended Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah until October 25. - **Qatar Airways** has cut its daily Jeddah flights from seven to four. - **Cathay Pacific** won't return to Riyadh until the end of January. Airlines have been extending these dates as they go. --- ## Should You Still Go? A Level 3 advisory isn't a ban, and thousands of people are still flying in and out of Saudi Arabia every day. But when the US pulls its own families out, that's worth taking seriously. If you're planning a trip, especially a non-essential one, consider postponing it. If you need to travel: - **Check your flight right before you leave**, since cancellations are happening at short notice. - **Fly with an airline that's still operating**, and have a backup plan if your connection is canceled. - **Enroll in the State Department's STEP program**, so the embassy can reach you in an emergency. - **Check your travel insurance.** Many policies don't cover trips to places under certain government warnings, so read the fine print before you go. - **Pilgrims traveling for Umrah** should stay in close touch with their tour operator, since group itineraries can change quickly.