New Delhi: Several airports in Saudi Arabia have come under Houthi missile and drone attacks. As a result, flights from India to Saudi Arabia operated by IndiGo, Air India and Akasa Air have been cancelled until 17 October. These flights operate to Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Medina. Several airlines operating between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia cancelled flights again on Wednesday. More than 3,100 flights have been affected in the past week. These include flights of Emirates, Etihad Airways, flydubai, Air Arabia and several international airlines. Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport is reported to be closed until at least 17 October.
313 flights cancelled in one day, up to 60 per cent of services affected
According to the latest figures from aviation analytics firm Cirium, 313 of the 1,097 flights scheduled from Saudi airports on 14 October were cancelled or did not operate. This is 28.53 per cent of the total.
The situation was worse on 13 October. Of the 1,058 flights scheduled that day, 556 were cancelled or did not operate. This means 52.55 per cent of flights were affected.
On 12 October, 632 of the 1,048 scheduled flights were cancelled or did not operate. This was 60.31 per cent of the total.
Between 8 and 14 October, more than 3,100 flights have been affected. This is about 40 per cent of scheduled flights. These figures may change as airlines make changes to their schedules.
Air India, IndiGo and other international airlines extend suspension
Several international airlines have also extended the suspension of their services because of the impact on flights in Saudi Arabia. According to the latest update, the position of the major airlines is as follows:
Etihad Airways: Riyadh flights cancelled until 19 October
Etihad Airways has cancelled all flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh until Monday, 19 October. Flights to Dammam and Jeddah have also been cancelled. All flights between Abu Dhabi and Dammam on 13 and 14 October have been cancelled.
EY603 and EY604 will also remain cancelled on 15 October. The airline has said it is monitoring the situation and may make further changes to the schedule if needed. Affected passengers can contact Etihad or their booking agent for rebooking and refunds.
flydubai: Riyadh, Dammam and Abha flights cancelled until 19 October
flydubai has extended the suspension of flights to several Saudi cities until 19 October. These include Riyadh, Dammam and Abha. The suspension was earlier in place until 14 October. According to an airline spokesperson, further changes to flights scheduled to Saudi Arabia are likely because of the current situation. The airline is monitoring the situation and will inform passengers through official channels.
Flights FZ841, FZ847 and FZ855 on the Dubai-Riyadh route have also been affected. Flights to Dammam and Abha have been affected as well. However, flydubai has not shut its entire Saudi Arabia network. Flights to some other cities, such as AlUla, have appeared in the schedule. Passengers have therefore been advised to check the status of their flight separately.
When will Riyadh airport reopen?
Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority has extended the suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport. Officials are still checking the airport's security and operational readiness. According to the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued on Monday, the airport will remain closed until 9 pm GMT on 17 October. This is equivalent to midnight on 18 October, Saudi local time. However, this is only the closure deadline announced for now. There is no definite time for the airport to reopen.
The closure at Riyadh airport was imposed after repeated attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement. These include the attack on Saturday, 10 October, in which at least 12 people were killed and more than 300 injured. Another attack on Sunday also caused casualties. These incidents have affected domestic and international flight operations in Saudi Arabia. Passengers have been advised to check their flight status on their airline's official flight status service before going to the airport.