Attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have nearly emptied the skies over Riyadh this month, aviation data showed on Monday, with cancellations grounding almost nine out of every 10 scheduled flights at the Saudi capital's airport.
Several major airports recorded severe disruption, including Riyadh at 86%, Dammam at 42% and Abha at 46.7% © Mena Today
Attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have nearly emptied the skies over Riyadh this month, aviation data showed on Monday, with cancellations grounding almost nine out of every 10 scheduled flights at the Saudi capital's airport.
About 86% of scheduled flights at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, or 4,071 out of 4,736, were cancelled between October 8 and October 25, according to the latest data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
The Houthis have stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia this month, targeting airports, ports and oil facilities with ballistic missiles and drones. Riyadh's airport, the kingdom's second-busiest after Jeddah, has been struck repeatedly, including an attack on October 10 that killed 13 people, the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade.
Saudi authorities partially reopened the airport on Sunday after a halt that had started on October 10. Domestic flights resumed from Terminal 1, while national carriers were allowed to operate international services from Terminal 2.
However, the Houthis said they had attacked Riyadh's airport again on Monday, calling it a "military target." The attacks have prompted international airlines to suspend services to the Saudi capital into November, while Delta Air Lines has postponed the launch of its Riyadh route until next year.
The disruption has forced several events in Riyadh to be cancelled or postponed, including Saudi Arabia's marquee investment conference, as flight cancellations hamper travel to and across the kingdom.
The upheaval also spread beyond the Saudi capital. More than 7,800 flights, or 45% of all scheduled departures from Saudi airports, were cancelled between October 8 and October 25, according to Cirium. The peak came on October 12, when cancellations exceeded 60% of scheduled flights nationwide.
Several major airports recorded severe disruption, including Riyadh at 86%, Dammam at 42% and Abha at 46.7%, where the Houthis have claimed strikes. A number of smaller regional airports saw the vast majority of flights cancelled, including Najran, near the Yemeni border, where all flights were cancelled.
By Gianluca Lo Nostro
Top officials from Mecca Pact countries Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are to meet Iran's leaders in Tehran on Monday in their first high-level contact since the kingdom became a pressure point in the wider Iran conflict.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they had attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West crude oil pumping stations and Riyadh airport, as rising hostilities choke oil supplies and threaten to erupt into a larger conflict.
Pope Leo called for an end to the violence in Yemen on Sunday, as he addressed the faithful from the window over St Peter's Square less than two weeks after having surgery for lung cancer.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.