Riyadh Airport Flights Resume Under Fire as Houthis Warn It Will Never Be Safe

Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport resumed flights on Sunday after a two-week closure caused by Houthi strikes, but the reopening came under fire: three explosions were heard in the Saudi capital on Sunday and the Saudi-led coalition said its air defences intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh and shot down two drones in the area.

Main News Report

AFP reported that Riyadh's international airport said flights would resume on Sunday after a two-week closure following strikes from Yemen's Houthis on the Saudi capital, though the Iran-backed group warned of more to come. The Flight Radar monitoring site showed a plane taking off from Riyadh airport early on Sunday, heading to the Saudi city of Jeddah.

King Khalid International Airport had announced on Saturday that Terminal 1 would handle domestic flights and Terminal 2 international flights operated by Saudi national carriers, effective Sunday, 25 October 2026. Gulf News reported that passengers with confirmed bookings were advised to check their flight status with their airlines before travelling to the airport.

The reopening did not bring quiet. AFP reported that three explosions were heard in the Saudi capital on Sunday, according to an AFP journalist in the city. The Saudi-led coalition announced on X that air defences had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi militia toward Riyadh, and said early on Sunday that it had shot down two drones in the Riyadh area.

This is a genuine new development from Saturday's fighting: PakInsight Hub reported on Saturday that the Houthis had claimed strikes on the airports in Riyadh, Dammam and Najran and on Saudi oil sites, even as the airport announced it would resume flights on Sunday. Sunday's events show those flights did operate, but under renewed attack and renewed threats.

Background Context

The Houthis have carried out waves of strikes on Riyadh's airport, including an attack this month that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, the deadliest in the kingdom in more than a decade. That attack forced the airport to shut, and the closure lasted two weeks before Sunday's reopening.

Saudi Arabia, along with Yemen's internationally recognised government that it backs, has faced a wave of Houthi attacks in recent weeks after a years-long truce broke down in the summer. The fighting has shifted the focus of the wider US-Iran war and deepened a humanitarian disaster in Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries.

Airlines are still treating Saudi airspace with caution. The Times of India reported that Air India and Air India Express have suspended flights to and from Riyadh and Dammam until 7 November, while services to Jeddah will remain suspended until 31 October, citing the evolving security situation, with complimentary rebooking or full refunds offered to affected passengers.

Reactions and Statements

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree renewed the group's warning against using the airport. The Times of India reported that Saree said in an X post that the Yemeni Armed Forces renewed their warning to all global, regional and local airlines, as well as employees and travellers, against travelling through King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, "as it is unsafe, being a military target for our forces". He added: "The Saudi regime bears the consequences of any operation of the airport and what will result from that, because the Armed Forces will continue their operations toward it and it will never be safe."

The Saudi-led coalition's response was military rather than verbal: the interception of the ballistic missile toward Riyadh and the shooting down of two drones in the Riyadh area early on Sunday, as AFP reported.

The wider region is watching Washington too. PakInsight Hub reported that Iran has denied offering the United States a new Hormuz deal through Pakistani mediators, even as US President Donald Trump hinted at a possible strike on Iran as early as Sunday or a major deal with Tehran.

Why This News Matters

For Pakistan, this story lands close to home. Saudi Arabia hosts a large Pakistani expatriate community whose remittances are a lifeline for Pakistan's economy, and any disruption to flights or security in the kingdom is felt directly by Pakistani workers and their families. Thousands of Pakistanis also travel to the kingdom for Umrah, and the safety of the airports they use matters to them and their relatives at home.

The energy angle hits Pakistani households too. PakInsight Hub reported that Brent crude hit a six-month high of $116.72 a barrel on Friday as Houthi strikes rattled the region, and fresh attacks on Saudi targets threaten to push fuel prices higher still. The fighting also widens the regional war in which Pakistan is already playing a mediation role.

Future Developments

The immediate question is whether Sunday's resumed flights keep operating safely, or whether the Houthis follow through on their warning and force another closure. The coalition's ability to keep intercepting missiles and drones over Riyadh will decide that, as will the airlines' own risk assessments — Air India's suspensions into November show that carriers are not yet convinced.

The wider clock is Washington's: with the US president hinting at a possible strike on Iran as early as Sunday or a major deal with Tehran, the next 24 hours could decide whether the region's two wars merge into one wider confrontation. PakInsight Hub will continue to follow the Saudi-Houthi fighting, the Riyadh airport reopening, any US move on Iran and the knock-on effects for Pakistan's fuel prices.

Sources

• Bangkok Post / AFP — "Riyadh airport resumes flights following Houthi attacks" (25 October 2026)
• Gulf News / AFP — "Riyadh Airport Reopens After Houthi Strikes Amid Ongoing Tensions" (25 October 2026)
• The Times of India — "'Will never be safe': Houthis warn as Riyadh airport resumes flights" (25 October 2026)

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