Riyadh’s skies remain unsettled after deadly Houthi strikes
Saudi authorities confirmed Friday that Thursday’s first attack struck airport facilities and the second hit a Saudia aircraft.
Some flights into Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport were operating on Friday evening, but hundreds remained delayed or canceled a day after Houthi attacks killed three Saudi citizens and prompted airlines to suspend flights to the Saudi capital.
As of 6:27 p.m. Riyadh time (11:27 a.m. EST), Flightradar24 showed 313 delayed flights, or 44% of the day’s scheduled services, and 144 cancellations, or 20%. The tracking site recorded a Flynas flight from Cairo landing at 6:22 p.m.
What happened: The renewed disruption comes after Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said earlier Friday that airport operations had resumed and air traffic had “returned to normal” following Thursday’s attacks.
The airport had issued a travel alert Thursday urging passengers to contact their airlines and confirm their flight status before heading to the airport.
