Airlines suspend Riyadh flights after deadly missile strike on airport

A missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 13 people and injured more than 300, according to an account of the attack. Since then, a broad group of international carriers has stopped flying to the Saudi capital.

Air India, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Gulf Air, IndiGo, Philippine Airlines and Qatar Airways have all suspended Riyadh service, as have the carriers owned by Air France-KLM and the Lufthansa Group. Several say flights will stay grounded only until later this week or next week.

Some suspensions run longer. Cathay Pacific has pushed back its return to Riyadh and Dubai until Jan. 31, 2027. Philippine Airlines stopped flying to Riyadh earlier this month and will not restore the link before Nov. 29.

Riyadh is the only point of entry to Saudi Arabia for most of the affected airlines. Carriers with wider networks have trimmed different pieces. Air India and Gulf Air dropped only Riyadh. IndiGo and Qatar Airways paused Riyadh and Dammam. Etihad halted Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah, with a return date of Oct. 19.

No US airline flies nonstop to Saudi Arabia at present. Delta had planned to begin Atlanta-Riyadh service on Oct. 23, but said on Monday that the launch is being moved to March 2027.

The attack on Saturday is described as the deadliest and most damaging foreign assault on Saudi territory in years. According to Reuters, the military's public alert system was not operating and gave the airport no warning.