Riyadh Airport Stays Closed After Three Days of Deadly Houthi Attacks
Saudi Arabia extended the suspension of all flights to and from its main international airport in Riyadh on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, after another Houthi missile attack caused more damage and left one person dead. The Guardian
King Khalid International Airport was kept closed to complete verification of the airport's safety, according to the Saudi aviation authority. A Saudi military spokesperson said further missile and drone threats had been detected. The airport remains closed. On Saturday, all flights were diverted from Riyadh and operations were suspended. Reuters
The closure follows three successive days of lethal strikes. A Houthi missile strike on Saturday killed 13 people and left more than 300 injured. Thursday's attacks on Riyadh airport killed three people, Saudi authorities said. Reuters
The Saudi-led coalition, a group of countries fighting together under Saudi leadership, blamed the Houthi group for the missile attack on the main international airport in Riyadh. Al Jazeera Houthi attacks since last month targeted fuel tanks at Riyadh airport and its affiliated warehouses, destroying a parked Airbus A320 passenger plane and damaging at least five other aircraft. The threat has widened. The Houthis also targeted the city of Khamis Mushait and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, and vowed to attack Saudi airports across the country.
Inside the kingdom, the response has extended beyond aviation. Schoolchildren and some office workers in Saudi Arabia were advised to work from home amid the missile threat. Riyadh airport serves a city of 8 million people. Yet Saudi Arabia pressed ahead with the 25th WPC Energy Conference in Riyadh despite the airport closure, keeping a major international energy gathering on schedule while the capital's airspace was shut.
Diplomatic activity intensified over the weekend. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke to Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan on Sunday about Iran acting as a mediator, a go-between, for the Saudis and the Houthis. On Oct. 12, Bahrain's Foreign Minister reaffirmed solidarity with Saudi Arabia after the Houthi attack on Riyadh airport.
A parallel warning came from Yemen. Taiz Governor Nabil Shamsan issued an urgent call on Sunday to lift the Houthi siege, a blockade that stops supplies from entering, and warned a shortage of medicines would soon exhaust emergency surgical and intensive care services.
The broader context here is a conflict where civil aviation, energy diplomacy and humanitarian pressure are now moving on the same timeline. For aviation planners and insurers, repeated strikes on fuel infrastructure and parked planes, combined with an open vow to hit airports nationwide, complicate any return to normal operations even after safety verification is complete. For energy markets and conference diplomacy, Riyadh's decision to proceed with the WPC gathering signals an effort to project continuity. For negotiators, the Tehran-Riyadh channel and the conditions in Taiz will shape whether mediation can progress beyond an initial exchange of calls.
