Riyadh Airport Closed Until Further Notice / Over 2,000 Flights Canceled

Following recent attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and the extension of its suspension, several Arab airlines have canceled flights to Saudi Arabia.

This airport, which is the second busiest airport in Saudi Arabia after Jeddah, temporarily suspended its operations on Saturday after an attack that left 13 dead and more than 300 injured.

Another attack on Sunday killed one person and injured more than 10 others.

Gulf Air Bahrain announced on Monday that its flights to and from Riyadh have been canceled from October 12 (Monday, October 20) to October 17 (Saturday, October 25).

On Monday, Qatar Airways announced the temporary suspension of flights to Riyadh and Dammam in the midst of the current developments.

Etihad Airways of the United Arab Emirates announced that all flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh have been canceled until Monday, October 19 (Monday, October 27). The airline also canceled all Abu Dhabi-Dammam flights scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, along with selected flights between Abu Dhabi and Jeddah until Thursday.

Previously, Saudi Arabia's Civil Aviation Organization announced on Monday that it has extended the suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport until further notice. The organization stated that this extension is necessary to complete the safety checks of the airport facilities and their operational readiness, in coordination with the relevant authorities.

In separate statements on Saturday and Sunday, Kuwait Airways announced the cancellation of its Riyadh flights due to the temporary closure of the airport.

Egyptian Airlines announced on Saturday that it has suspended flights from Cairo and Alexandria to Riyadh until operations resume, and referring to the temporary suspension of King Khalid International Airport in the current situation, the company announced that it will suspend flights from Cairo and Alexandria to Riyadh until operations resume.

Five airports in Saudi Arabia have been the target of 10 attacks by the Yemeni armed forces since October 5th (October 13th), according to Ambassador Arjan's statistics, 20 people were killed and hundreds were injured. These attacks have also caused material damage and disrupted air traffic.

According to the TRT World website, these attacks are carried out amid the escalation of military tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni armed forces since July, including attacks on civilian aviation facilities and energy facilities in the country.

The start of Delta Airlines flights to Saudi Arabia was postponed

Delta Air Lines has announced that it will delay the launch of its direct flight between Atlanta and Riyadh until March after several deadly attacks at Riyadh airport.

Delta planned to start this flight route on October 23 (Friday, November 1) using the wide-body Airbus A350-900, and this flight was supposed to be the first direct commercial flight between the United States and Saudi Arabia by an American airline.

According to FlightAware, more than 2,000 flights to and from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh have been canceled since last Thursday.

Delta announced in a statement: "While closely monitoring the situation, we are still in close contact with government agencies and relevant aviation partners, including Saudia and Riyadh Air." "Saudi Arabia remains an important market for Delta and we are committed to providing services to this country in the long term."

Delta's decision comes after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a warning to the country's airlines on Sunday.

According to a CNBC report, the agency said pilots should "use caution" in or around Saudi Arabian airspace because of "flight safety risks from ongoing military activities" and the state of navigation systems. The warning, which is valid until December 10, states that these threats could pose a potential danger "to aircraft at all altitudes".