Flights resumed at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Sunday after a two-week closure, but the restart was limited. Riyadh airport flights listed on the airport website included arrivals from Dubai, Paris and Cairo, yet tracking data showed only a small number of departures, with the vast majority of flights still cancelled.
The airport had been closed for two weeks after a series of deadly Houthi attacks, including one this month that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. That attack was the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade, and it forced a halt to normal operations at the capital’s main gateway.
Our earlier report on the airport’s planned reopening covered the closure and the Houthi warning that the airport remained a target. Sunday’s limited restart shows how far that warning still shapes travel, even after the formal reopening.
Riyadh airport flights restart under fresh attacks
The restart took place while attacks continued. Explosions rattled Riyadh early on Sunday, after residents received a text message warning of a hostile threat aimed at the city. Alerts for possible attacks were also activated across the kingdom’s south through the day.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said at least 10 ballistic missiles were intercepted. It said air defences destroyed a ballistic missile launched towards Riyadh, along with two drones in the capital area. Later on Sunday morning, the coalition said its forces had intercepted a cruise missile fired at the southern city of Khamis Mushait.
Warnings also covered Abha, Taif, Namas and Jazan in the south. One resident in Khamis Mushait told AFP that the bombardment had been very heavy since the morning. “Everything is shaking because of the explosions,” the resident said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Saudi officials gave no further detail on the scale of operations, leaving travellers with a mixed picture: flights are listed and some are operating, but most are not, and the security threat has not eased.
Houthis warn airlines again
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree repeated the warning that Riyadh airport was still unsafe and a military target. He warned international, regional and local airlines, along with staff and travellers, against using King Khalid Airport. He said the Saudi regime would bear the consequences of any operations at the airport.
Later on Sunday, Saree said Saudi Arabia had struck Yemen dozens of times over the previous 24 hours. He said Saudi warplanes had launched 56 airstrikes and missiles at civilian objects in Hajjah, Lahj, Amran, Saada, Al-Jawf, Taiz and Ibb, using F-15 and Typhoon planes from bases at Khamis Mushait and Taif, along with missiles from Najran.
The Houthis also said that, within 24 hours, they had targeted three Saudi airports, energy installations, a pipeline and an air base.
Saudi civil defence said it had also responded to falling debris in the Makkah and Madina regions on Saturday after intercepting two Houthi missiles. The Houthis denied targeting the two holy cities, calling the Saudi claim a huge lie.
Why the closure matters beyond Riyadh
Saudi Arabia leads the military coalition fighting the Houthis, and the fighting erupted after a years-long truce between the Houthis and Yemen’s government fell apart. The Houthi fighters have since carried out waves of strikes on the airport, along with oil infrastructure and other sites.
The flare-up in Yemen, with the Houthis taking control of the entire Red Sea coast in a lightning offensive last month, has further destabilised the region and disrupted oil markets. The attacks have hit Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude exporter, disrupting businesses, airlines and residents alike. The Gulf disruption also reaches Pakistan, where trade with the region narrowed this quarter, as covered in our report on the Gulf trade gap, and where the government has faced US pressure over its Iran border.
That wider pressure is part of why a limited airport restart still counts as news. It shows that Riyadh can reopen its gateway, but it cannot yet run it normally while missiles keep coming. For travellers, the practical point is simple: check the flight before travelling, because a listed service may still be cancelled at short notice.
