> ## 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. # 12 Dead, 300 Hurt: The Deadliest Attack Yet Has Shut Down Riyadh's Main Airport - URL: https://www.thecontrail.org/riyadh-airport-attack-12-killed-closed/ - Published: 2026-10-11T11:49:11.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-12T13:29:52.000Z - Description: A Houthi missile strike on King Khalid International Airport killed at least 12 people and injured 309, the third attack on Riyadh's airport in four days. The airport is closed, and airlines are canceling flights across Saudi Arabia. - Author: Zachary Benitez - Tags: News, Saudi Crisis **Update, Oct. 12: Riyadh’s airport is now closed until at least October 17, and Dammam’s airport has also been targeted.** [**Read the latest**](https://www.thecontrail.org/is-riyadh-airport-open-saudi-airport-closures/)**.** A Riyadh airport attack on Saturday killed at least 12 people and injured 309 others, Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority said, making it the deadliest strike yet in a week of attacks on Saudi airports. Yemen's Houthi rebels fired a ballistic missile at King Khalid International Airport, the country's main gateway, in the [third attack](https://www.thecontrail.org/a-passenger-plane-was-reportedly-hit-at-riyadhs-main-airport/) on the airport in four days. The airport has been shut since the strike. Saudi authorities have extended the closure until 21:00 UTC on Sunday, October 11, which is 5 p.m. in New York, and haven't said when normal flights will resume. Breaking · Riyadh ### The Deadliest Attack Yet Killed 12 Injured 309 Airport closed until At least 5 p.m. ET Sunday Mon, Oct 5 Houthi attacks begin on airports in southern Saudi Arabia. Wed, Oct 7 First strike on Riyadh's airport. Flights briefly halted. Thu, Oct 8 A Saudia plane is hit. Three Saudis, including a pilot, are killed. Sat, Oct 10 A ballistic missile kills 12 and injures 309\. The airport closes. Contrail --- ## The Victims According to the General Authority of Civil Aviation, the 12 people killed were four Saudi citizens and residents from Bangladesh, the US, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, the Palestinian territories and Sudan. Some of the 309 injured are in critical condition, and all are being treated in hospitals across the city. The authority said the strike also caused property damage, which it is still assessing. The authority has also now confirmed the toll from Thursday's attack on the same airport, which killed at least three Saudi citizens, including a pilot. That attack damaged facilities and a Saudia plane parked on the ground. --- ## A Week of Attacks The Houthis have been targeting Saudi airports since Monday, starting with airports in the south near the Yemen border before striking Riyadh on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. They've declared Saudi airspace a military zone and say any plane flying over the kingdom is a target, except over Mecca and Medina. The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen called Saturday's strike a "full-fledged war crime" and promised to respond "decisively." The coalition also said a projectile fell near King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, in the east of the country. In Washington, President Trump called the attack "terrible" and said he was evaluating whether the US should join the war against the Houthis. ![Busy terminal hall at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with cafés, shops and travelers under a white lattice ceiling](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ac/ed/acedfbb2-ff9c-499b-b431-eb36d7539be1/content/images/2026/10/IMG_5477.JPG) Inside a terminal at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. File photo. Credit: Zach Benitez / Contrail --- ## Flights Canceled Airlines across the region have pulled flights. Emirates, flydubai and Air Arabia have canceled their Riyadh flights for Sunday and Monday, and Emirates has also canceled many flights to Jeddah, Dammam and Medina. Etihad canceled its Riyadh flights on Sunday and some on Monday. Lufthansa Group had already suspended Riyadh flights until at least October 16. For Riyadh Air and Saudia, both based at King Khalid, a closed airport means their home base is effectively offline. Delta's [first flight between Atlanta and Riyadh](https://www.thecontrail.org/delta-atlanta-riyadh-flight-launch-security/) is still scheduled for October 23, but the airline hasn't said whether it will go ahead. Its CEO said last week that "safety is going to make the call." --- ## What Travelers Should Do The US, UK, Canada, Germany and Australia have all [warned their citizens to avoid the airport.](https://www.thecontrail.org/is-it-safe-to-travel-to-saudi-arabia-riyadh/) The US Mission in Riyadh "strongly recommends" that Americans stay away from the airport and the area around it. If you're booked to or through Riyadh in the coming days: - **Don't go to the airport** unless your airline has confirmed your flight is operating. - **Check your flight directly with the airline,** not just a third-party app. - **Ask about refunds or free changes.** If your airline cancels, you're generally entitled to a refund or rebooking, so don't settle for a credit you didn't ask for. - **Check your government's travel advice and your insurance.** Traveling against official advice can void your coverage.