Airlines suspend flights to Saudi capital after Houthis claim attack on airport

Explosions were heard in Saudi Arabia's capital, including a large blast at Riyadh's international airport, where flights were subsequently halted.

Witnesses saw smoke billowing from a plane at King Khalid International Airport, and the Iran-aligned Houthis - based in neighbouring Yemen - also told workers to stay away from energy plants.

In response to Thursday's attack, Germany's Lufthansa Group and Air India as well as two other carriers from the country, all suspended flights to the city.

The rebels had earlier warned global airlines "for the last time" about the consequences of operating in Saudi airspace, which they called a theatre for their military operations.

The Houthis say they are targeting the kingdom because of its support for Yemen's government forces in the country's civil war.

Not long after the blasts, the airport "closed again", the Flightradar24 monitor said on X.

One witness said outgoing flights were stopped and passengers were told to leave checked-in luggage behind and evacuate. It was not immediately clear how many flights were disrupted.

Major General Turki al-Malki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, said it had destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis toward Riyadh, along with a ballistic missile fired toward the city of Khamis Mushait, in the southwest near the Yemen border.

A Lufthansa spokesperson has since said the German group would suspend ⁠flights to Riyadh ⁠until 16 October due to "current developments in the ‌Middle East".

All Air India flights to the Saudi capital will be cancelled until 10 October.

Flight tracker FlightRadar24 showed numerous delayed arrivals and departures at the airport on ​Thursday, with travellers advised to contact airlines to check the status of flights.

A US Embassy security alert was also issued on Wednesday, telling citizens to be aware of potential airspace closures and warning US government employees not to travel within 20 miles (32km) of the Yemen border.

On Wednesday, Saudi officials confirmed that attacks on the Riyadh and Abha airports claimed by the Houthis had killed three people this week.

They are the first deaths recorded in the conflict since Saudi Arabia and allied Yemeni forces launched a significant ground and air offensive against the rebels.

Officials also said that debris from an intercepted missile hit a pre-school and nursery, without mentioning specific casualties.

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Saudi Arabia has requested more support from allied nations in the conflict - now an overspill of the US-Iran war - to reverse Houthi gains in southwest Yemen.

The country's long-running civil war escalated again in recent weeks, as the Houthis seized stretches of the Red Sea coast last month.

It has caused a humanitarian crisis in the poorest Arab state, displacing 200,000 people since the conflict resumed after a ceasefire in 2022.

(c) Sky News 2026: Airlines suspend flights to Saudi capital after Houthis claim attack on airport