Houthis warn airlines to avoid Saudi airports after Riyadh airport attack

Yemen's Houthis warned airlines, travellers and airport workers to avoid Saudi airports and Saudi airspace after an attack on Riyadh's international airport that killed 12 people and wounded more than 300. Operations at the airport are temporarily suspended.

The warning, reported by The Straits Times as a renewed one following the latest deadly attack on the Saudi capital, urges civilian aviation to stay away from airports across the kingdom. The Houthis have not been quoted here beyond the substance of the warning, and the figures on casualties and the suspension of flights come from the reporting available at the time of writing. Details of how the attack was carried out and the full impact on flight schedules have not been confirmed.

The Houthis control Sanaa and much of northern Yemen and have been at war with the Yemeni government since 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015, and a UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022. Houthi forces have previously claimed drone and missile strikes on Saudi airports, including Abha, and since late 2023 have targeted shipping in the Red Sea.

For Qatar and the wider Gulf, the suspension and the threat to civilian aviation matter because Riyadh is one of the region's busiest air hubs, linked by regular services to Doha and other Gulf capitals. Travellers with bookings through Saudi airports should check directly with their airlines for updates. Qatar Standard will update this report as authorities and carriers confirm further details.