Riyadh Airport Resumes Operations, but Houthi Attacks Hinder Return to Normal

King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, which had been closed following attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, resumed operations after two weeks. However, flights are operating on a limited basis as the Houthi rebels continue their missile and drone attacks.

Reuters-Yonhap News

According to Bloomberg and other news outlets on October 25 local time, King Khalid International Airport reopened some terminals that day and partially resumed domestic and international flights.

The airport's website listed flight schedules to and from London, Dubai, Beijing and other destinations. Saudia and flynas, Saudi Arabia's national carriers, resumed operations, and foreign airlines including Air India and Emirates were also listed in the schedules. However, actual flight operations remained limited as major global airlines continued to suspend service. According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, only a small number of flights took off that day, while most were canceled.

Houthi rebel attacks continued despite the airport's reopening. According to foreign media reports, Saudi civil defense authorities issued emergency alerts that day for Riyadh, Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, Najran and other areas, then said minutes later that the danger had passed.

The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted two drones and one ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh, as well as one cruise missile aimed at Khamis Mushait. It also shot down 10 ballistic missiles launched toward southern areas. Falling missile debris injured two people in Khamis Mushait and Ahad Rafidah. Some residential buildings and vehicles were also damaged.

King Khalid International Airport had previously suspended all operations on October 10 after an attack by the Houthi rebels killed at least 13 people and injured more than 300.

The airport announced the previous day through the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that, starting October 25, Terminal 1 would serve domestic flights and Terminal 2 would be designated for international flights operated by Saudi carriers.

The Houthi rebels, however, warned that they would continue attacking the airport. In a statement that day, Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said, "King Khalid Airport remains a military target," and urged airlines, employees and travelers not to use the airport.

The Houthi rebels also claimed the previous day that they had attacked King Khalid Airport and the East-West oil pipeline in retaliation for Saudi Arabia's large-scale airstrikes.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.