Update (02:55 UTC, 8 October 2026): Philippine Airlines said on Thursday that it has cancelled its ManilaβRiyadh flight PR654 on 8 October and the return flight PR655 on 10 October "in light of the developing situation in the region", according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The flag carrier has not yet said what will happen to later flights and says it is monitoring airport conditions.
Earlier update (19:40 UTC, 7 October 2026): Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) says three people were killed and 36 injured in attacks on Abha International Airport and Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on Tuesday and Wednesday. At Abha, two female residents, a Moroccan and an Algerian, were killed and 28 people were injured. At King Khalid, a Sudanese national was killed and eight people, five of them Saudi citizens, were injured, the authority said, according to AP, AFP and Al Jazeera. GACA did not say who carried out the attacks, but Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed missile and drone strikes on both airports. The authority gave no details of flight disruption; Flightradar24 data cited by AP showed only a brief disruption at Riyadh on Wednesday.
Earlier on 7 October: Yemen's Ministry of Transport said two ballistic missiles and several drones targeted Aden International Airport early on Wednesday, with one missile falling near the runway shortly before Yemenia flight IY603 from Cairo was due to land. The ministry said the flight diverted to Jeddah. No casualties were reported in Aden, and flights there resumed later on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia's aviation authority first reported attacks on two airports in the south-west of the Kingdom on Monday evening, 5 October 2026. In a statement issued on Tuesday, GACA said King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Jazan and Najran International Airport were "subjected to two attacks targeting their facilities", leaving three people with minor injuries and causing material damage.
What the aviation authority confirmed
According to GACA, emergency teams responded immediately and the three people injured in Jazan and Najran were taken to hospital. The authority said it is coordinating with security agencies to assess the damage and protect travellers and airport workers.
That statement did not specify the weapon used, the extent of the damage or any impact on flights at either airport.
Houthi claims and Saudi response
All four Saudi airports named so far lie in the south-west of the Kingdom or in the capital. On Monday, Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed that the Yemeni group had carried out three operations using "a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones". He said the targets included King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, the Aramco refinery in Rabigh, Abha Airport, Khamis Mushait Air Base and "other critical sites in Najran and Jizan".
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned what it called the Houthis' continued targeting of civilians and civilian and economic facilities in the Kingdom and reaffirmed the Kingdom's right to defend its territory.
Saudi airspace remains open
In the same Monday statement, the Houthis warned international airlines using Saudi airspace to stop flying through it, with the exception of the airspace over Makkah and Madinah. According to energy and commodities publisher Argus, Saudi airspace remained open and commercial flights were continuing to operate as of 20:30 GMT on Monday, based on flight-tracking data, with no operating restrictions announced.
Last week the European Union Aviation Safety Agency advised operators to avoid parts of the Jeddah flight information region, as we reported in EASA Advises Airlines to Avoid Parts of Saudi Jeddah FIR Amid Houthi Attacks. Jeddah's airport remains open.
Passengers booked through Abha, Riyadh, Jazan or Najran should check flight status with their airline before travelling. We will update this article as GACA, Yemeni authorities or the airport operators release more information.
Sources: General Authority of Civil Aviation statements via Arab News, Sabq, Ajel, AP, AFP and Al Jazeera; Al Bawaba; ANI; Argus; The National; Yemen Ministry of Transport statement via Al-Mashhad Al-Yemeni and Al-Ain Al-Thalitha; Reuters; CGTN; Saudi-led coalition statement via Arab News, Al Arabiya and AFP; Roya News; Al-Rashad Press.
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