Arab airlines suspend flights to Riyadh airport following attacks
Agencies3 min read
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Several Arab airlines announced the suspension or cancellation of their flights to and from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, following Houthi attacks.
The airport, which is the Kingdom's second busiest after Jeddah, announced a temporary suspension of operations on Saturday following a Houthi attack that left 13 people dead and more than 300 injured, in an unprecedented attack in the Kingdom in over a decade, before another attack on Sunday caused the death of one person and the injury of more than 10 others.
New decisions
On Monday, Bahrain's Gulf Air announced that it had cancelled its flights to and from Riyadh airport until Saturday.
In a statement, it said: "Gulf Air would like to notify passengers of the cancellation of its flights to and from Riyadh during the period from October 12 to 17, at 12:00 midnight."
Qatar Airways also announced, in a statement on Monday, the "temporary suspension of its flights to both Riyadh and Dammam, in light of current developments."
Meanwhile, the UAE's Etihad Airways reported that it had cancelled all its flights to and from Riyadh until next Monday due to "regional disturbances."
The company also indicated, in a statement on Monday, the cancellation of all flights between Abu Dhabi and Dammam on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the cancellation of a number of flights between Abu Dhabi and Jeddah until Thursday.
Earlier on Monday, the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation announced in a statement the extension of the suspension of operational activities at King Khalid International Airport in the capital, Riyadh, until further notice, a day after Houthi shelling left casualties and material damage.
It attributed this to "completing the necessary procedures to verify the safety of the airport's facilities and its operational readiness, in coordination with the competent authorities."
Suspension of operations
On Saturday and Sunday, Kuwait Airways announced in two statements the cancellation of its flights to Riyadh airport due to the temporary suspension of operations.
EgyptAir (state-owned) also reported on Saturday the suspension of its flights from Cairo and Alexandria airports to Riyadh until operations resume, attributing this to the "temporary suspension of operational activities at King Khalid International Airport as a result of the current situation."
Since October 5, 5 Saudi airports have been subjected to 10 attacks carried out by the Yemeni Houthi group, resulting in the death of 20 people and the injury of hundreds, in addition to material damage and disruptions to air traffic, according to Anadolu Agency's count.
This comes in light of the continuous military escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi group since last July, which included targeting civil aviation facilities and energy installations in the Kingdom.
Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition to support the Yemeni government in its confrontation with the Houthi group, which has controlled the capital, Sanaa, and several governorates since September 2014.
