Following a recent surge in Houthi militant attacks targeting airports across Saudi Arabia, governments worldwide are urging their citizens to avoid or reconsider travel to the kingdom. Australia and New Zealand released their latest warnings on Monday, joining a growing coalition that includes the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Japan.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade specifically advised its nationals to steer clear of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and to reevaluate trips to other Saudi airfields. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade recommended that citizens avoid the capital’s primary airport as well as the southern provinces of Najran, Jazan, and Asir. The ministry also discouraged non-essential travel throughout the country.
Earlier in the week, the U.S. embassy in Riyadh cautioned American citizens to rethink travel plans due to the threat of attacks by Iran and its allied Houthi forces. Global Affairs Canada issued a broader advisory against all non-essential travel to any part of the kingdom. South Korea advised its citizens currently in Saudi Arabia to depart unless they are engaged in essential business, while also recommending that prospective travelers cancel upcoming trips. The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office urged avoidance of Jeddah and Dammam, restricting essential travel only to Medina International Airport.
These diplomatic alerts come amid a chaotic week for Saudi aviation, marked by five distinct attacks on airports in less than seven days. On Sunday, a projectile struck King Khalid International Airport, killing one person and injuring 11 others, according to the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). This followed a devastating Houthi strike on the same facility on Saturday, which claimed 13 lives and wounded more than 300 people in what authorities described as the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in over a decade.
The Houthis have claimed responsibility for four of the strikes, while the identity of the group behind Sunday’s attack remains unclaimed. Consequently, King Khalid International Airport and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam remain closed, causing widespread disruption to regional aviation networks.
The instability has also impacted operations at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 indicated that more than 150 flights were canceled and 374 were delayed at the Jeddah hub on Sunday alone.
Brendan Sobie, an independent aviation analyst based in Singapore, cautioned that it is premature to forecast the long-term impact on global and regional air travel. Drawing parallels to previous crises involving the Iran war and its effects on neighboring Gulf states such as the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain, Sobie noted that the economic and logistical fallout will largely depend on the duration of the hostilities and how long the closure of Riyadh’s main airport persists.
Does this change the broader Middle East travel landscape? Hope airlines don’t raise premiums for the region again.
I was booked to Riyadh next week. Have to cancel immediately. Safety comes first, but it’s inconvenient.
This is alarming. Four strikes on the same airport in days shows how vulnerable these hubs have become.