Three killed in new attacks on Riyadh Airport

Three Saudi nationals were killed and several others injured in two attacks on the airport on Thursday, according to a statement issued Friday by the kingdom’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA).

The authority said the first attack targeted airport facilities, while the second struck an aircraft belonging to Saudi Arabia’s national carrier, Saudia.

The injured included Saudi nationals and foreign residents, with injuries ranging from minor to critical. Authorities did not specify how many people were injured, but confirmed that all had been taken to hospitals.

Saudia separately confirmed the death of one of its employees and damage to an aircraft on the ground.

“There were no passengers on board the aircraft at the time of the incident,” the airline said in a statement.

Following the attacks, Saudia activated emergency response procedures in coordination with the relevant authorities. The airline said its flights and airport operations had returned to normal by 6:00 p.m. local time on Thursday, October 8.

GACA also confirmed that the airport had resumed operations and air traffic had returned to normal. The authority continues to assess the damage and inspect airport facilities for safety.

Neither statement identified those responsible for the attacks or specified the weapons used.

However, the disruption has continued to affect international flight schedules.

According to Al Jazeera, at least 103 flights were canceled on October 9, compared with 335 the previous day. Some flights bound for Riyadh were diverted to other airports.

Air India announced that flights to and from the Saudi capital would remain suspended until at least the weekend. 

The attacks come amid intensified missile strikes against Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthi movement and attempts to disrupt the kingdom’s airspace as the war triggered by the conflict between the United States and Iran escalates.

According to officials and Houthi-affiliated media, Saudi airstrikes targeted Houthi facilities in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, overnight into Friday.

Saudi authorities also reported intercepting and destroying two ballistic missiles heading toward Riyadh and another targeting the city of Khamis Mushait on Thursday.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that separate attacks on Abha Airport and King Khalid International Airport on October 6–7 had killed three people — a Sudanese national and two women from Morocco and Algeria — and injured 36 others.