Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport targeted again, operations suspended after multiple injuries

King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabias capital Riyadh was targeted in another attack on Saturday local time leaving multiple people injured and forcing a temporary suspension of airport operations the Kingdoms General Authority of Civil Aviation GACA said as several international airlines cancelled flights and foreign embassies urged their citizens to avoid the airportThe developments follow Houthi strikes on King Khalid and Abha Airports in Saudi Arabia on October 6 and 7 and an escalating conflict in Yemen In a statement GACA said On Saturday October 10 2026 corresponding to 29 Rabi AlThani 1448H King Khalid International Airport was targeted by an attack amid ongoing blatant attacks targeting civil aviation facilities in the KingdomThe attack resulted in a number of injuries which are currently being assessed the authority said adding that operations had been temporarily suspended pending damage assessment and safety inspections of airport facilities in coordination with the relevant authorities _ httpstcoJoAi69jwvpmdash ksagaca October 10 2026Further updates will be provided GACA saidSaudi Arabias Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged citizens whose travel plans had been disrupted by the suspension or delay of flights to contact Saudi diplomatic missions in the countries where they were located The ministry said the missions would provide assistance and necessary guidance to citizens who had been unable to reach their destinations because of disruptions to flights heading to King Khalid International Airport _ httpstcoFeaQ26qHoimdash KSAMOFA October 10 2026Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on citizens whose travel itineraries have been affected or who have been unable to reach their destinations due to the suspension or delay of some flights heading to King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh to contact the missions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the countries where they are located in order to request assistance and provide the necessary guidance the statement readMeanwhile Akasa Air announced that it had extended the suspension of all flights to and from Riyadh until October 13 citing the continuing security situation In a travel update issued on Saturday the airline said affected passengers could opt for a full refund to the original payment source within seven days or reschedule their travel without additional charges Passengers who booked through travel partners were advised to contact them directlyTravelUpdate October 10 2026 2000 IST In view of the continuing security situation in Riyadh Akasa Air has extended the suspension of all flights to and from Riyadh till October 13 2026 We continue to closely monitor and assess the situation on a realtime basis Passengers impacted by these cancellations may opt for a full refund credited to the original source of payment within 7 days or reschedule their travel at no additional cost Passengers whose bookings were made through a travel partner are requested to contact them directly for assistance The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain our highest prioritymdash Akasa Air AkasaAir October 10 2026In view of the continuing security situation in Riyadh Akasa Air has extended the suspension of all flights to and from Riyadh till October 13 2026 We continue to closely monitor and assess the situation on a realtime basis Passengers impacted by these cancellations may opt for a full refund credited to the original source of payment within 7 days or reschedule their travel at no additional costPassengers whose bookings were made through a travel partner are requested to contact them directly for assistance the statement read The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority the airline addedKuwait Airways also cancelled flights KU775 from Kuwait to Riyadh and KU776 from Riyadh to Kuwait on Saturday due to the airport closure The airline advised passengers to monitor their flight status and said notifications would be sent to the contact numbers registered with their bookingsKuwait Airways announces the cancellation of flight KU775 Kuwait to Riyadh and flight KU776 Riyadh to Kuwait today Saturday 10 October 2026 due to the closure of the airport resulting from the security situation The company urges all passengers to monitor the status of their flights Notifications and text messages will be sent to the phone numbers registered in their bookings to inform them of any updates Passengers may also follow the latest developments via Kuwait Airways official channels We thank everyone for their understanding and cooperation the airline saidSeveral foreign governments also issued travel advisories following the incident The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia said it was aware of attacks on the airport on October 10 and strongly recommended that American citizens avoid the airport and surrounding areas It also said US government employees working in Saudi Arabia would require special authorisation to use King Khalid International Airport The mission warned of possible flight cancellations airspace closures and travel disruptions and advised travellers to confirm their flight status directly with airlines and the airport__ kuwaitairways httpstco48sOkMBFkRmdash Kuwait Airways KuwaitAirways October 10 2026US Government Employee Travel Restrictions US government employees working in Saudi Arabia require special authorization to use the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh US government employees working in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to travel within 20 miles of the Yemen border due to safety risks and need special authorization for travel to the provinces of Jizan Asir Najran and the cities of Qatif Yanbu and Taif the embassy saidSecurity Alert US Mission Saudi Arabia October 11 2026 The US Mission is aware of attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 10 and strongly recommends all US citizens avoid this airport and surrounding areas US government employees working in Saudi Arabia require special authorization to use the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh as well as the airports in Jeddah and Dammam Please take extreme caution when using all major airports in Saudi Arabia US citizens should be aware of potential flight cancellations airspace closures and travel disruptions We recommend checking your flight departure status directly with the airline and with the airport US Government Employee Travel Restrictions US government employees working in Saudi Arabia require special authorization to use the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh as well as the airports in Jeddah and Dammam US government employees working in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to travel within 20 miles of the Yemen border due to safety risks and need special authorization for travel to the provinces of Jizan Asir Najran and the cities of Qatif Yanbu and Taif Read more httpstco6J75oUQWnZmdash US Embassy Riyadh USAinKSA October 11 2026The British Foreign Office said it was updating its travel advice following a serious incident at the airport at approximately 3 pm local timeWe advise British nationals to avoid King Khalid International Airport until the airport is secure and to monitor the advice of the Saudi authorities it said10 October 2026 Update to FCDO Travel Advice for Saudi Arabia To read our travel advice please visit httpstcodkWmWSU8gi httpstcoLx1FrYZL8rmdash UK in Saudi Arabia UKinSaudiArabia October 10 2026Canadas embassy in Saudi Arabia also advised its citizens to avoid all travel to the airport citing ongoing military activity affecting operations and causing travel disruptions It urged Canadians to monitor local media follow instructions from local authorities and check their flight status directly with their airlines before departureThe embassy also advised people who encountered military debris or fragments to move away immediately and contact local authoritieshttpstcoyXRBN0bXfqmdash Canada in KSA CanEmbSA October 10 2026The Japanese embassy strongly condemned what it described as repeated Houthi attacks on international airports and other civilian facilities in Saudi ArabiaAttacks on civilians and civilian facilities in any form cannot be tolerated the embassy said calling on the Houthis to refrain from escalating the situation inside and outside Yemen httpstcoeCS8eB5St2mdash Embassy of Japan in KSA JapanEmbassyKSA October 10 2026Germany and Spain also issued advisories The German embassy in Riyadh strongly advised its citizens against transiting through the airport and asked German nationals in Saudi Arabia to register with the Federal Foreign Offices crisis preparedness list to receive information and guidance in an emergency The Spanish embassy urged its citizens to take extreme precautions and avoid nonessential travelThe latest attack comes two days after separate strikes targeting King Khalid International Airport and Abha International Airport on October 6 and 7 resulted in three deaths and 36 injuries according to GACA In an earlier statement issued on Friday GACA said three Saudi citizens had been killed and several others injured in two separate attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport on Thursday According to the authority one attack targeted the airports facilities while another targeted a Saudia aircraftThe attacks caused property damage and injured Saudi citizens and residents of various nationalities with the injured taken to hospitals for medical treatment Saudia Airlines confirmed that one of its employees was killed in the incident and expressed condolences to the employees family Saudia confirms that the incident at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh resulted in the loss of one of its employeesThe airline extends its deepest condolences to his family it said The airline also reported damage to one of its aircraft while it was parked at the airport clarifying that no passengers were on board at the time Saudia said it had activated emergency response procedures in coordination with the relevant authorities to manage the situation and provide care and support to those affected and their familiesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever