Riyadh skies largely empty after deadly Houthi airport attacks, with about 60% of scheduled flights expected to be canceled on Monday

Air traffic over Riyadh was sharply reduced on Monday, October 12, after deadly Houthi attacks on the Saudi capital’s King Khalid International Airport. Reuters reported that aviation analytics firm Cirium expected about 60% of scheduled flights to be canceled that day.

Cirium data showed 99.7% of flights scheduled at the airport were canceled on Sunday. More than a third of flights across Saudi Arabia were also expected not to operate on Monday, while FlightRadar24 estimated cancellations at Riyadh airport at about 78%.

The airport remained closed on Sunday after an attack killed one person and injured nearly a dozen others. A strike claimed by the Houthis a day earlier killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, according to the report.

The attacks prompted airlines in Europe and Asia to suspend services. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration advised U.S. airlines to exercise caution when flying to or over Saudi Arabia. Lufthansa Group canceled all Riyadh flights through October 16, while Air France-KLM extended its suspension of service to and from the capital until the end of October.

The attacks have disrupted Saudi civil aviation and led to flight suspensions by international carriers, extending the impact beyond Riyadh airport.