King Khalid International Airport was hit for a second time in two days, bringing the death toll to 14 and leaving Riyadh’s skies largely empty.
King Khalid International Airport (RUH) in Riyadh was hit for the second time in two days on Sunday.
A Saudi military spokesman said a projectile struck the airport and started a fire in a passenger hall. The coalition spokesman named the location as Passenger Hall No 4 and said air defences had intercepted a missile near the airport. Saudi Arabia’s Civil Aviation Authority said one person, a Pakistani resident, was killed and 11 were injured.
The strike on Saturday killed 13 people and injured more than 300, according to officials, so 14 people have died across the two attacks. One regional official, speaking anonymously, said a missile had hit two domestic terminals. Flights were diverted after the last aircraft landed at 2.05pm, according to Flightradar24, and Kuwait Airways cancelled services because the airport had closed.
The Houthis in Yemen claimed responsibility, saying they used ballistic and cruise missiles and drones. They warned airlines and passengers against using Saudi airports and airspace. The group’s military spokesman said all Saudi airports apart from those in Mecca and Medina were potential targets, and vowed to continue “escalating operations deep inside Saudi Arabia”. The Houthis also said they had targeted Dammam airport in the east of the country. Riyadh and Abha airports were hit earlier in the week.
Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium showed RUH, the kingdom’s second-busiest airport after Jeddah, cancelled 99.7 per cent of scheduled flights on Sunday and remained closed. For Monday, Cirium expected about 60 per cent of scheduled flights to be cancelled, with more than a third of flights across the kingdom not expected to operate. Flightradar24 put cancellations at Riyadh airport at about 78 per cent.
Lufthansa Group has cancelled all flights to Riyadh until 16 October. Air France-KLM has extended a previous suspension of services to and from the city until the end of the month. The US Federal Aviation Administration told US airlines on Sunday to exercise caution when flying to or over Saudi Arabia.
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