Riyadh airport reopens after two weeks, but Houthi missiles keep coming

Riyadh’s main airport reopened on Sunday after two weeks of closure, but the Houthi missiles and drones that shut it down were still in the sky as the first passengers returned.

King Khalid International Airport opened Terminals 1 and 2 for domestic and international flights. Departure boards stayed thin: flight-tracking data showed only a handful of planes leaving, and most flights were still cancelled.

Explosions were heard over the capital as the airport prepared to reopen, after residents received a text alert warning of a hostile threat. Saudi military spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki said air defences destroyed a ballistic missile and a drone fired towards Riyadh early on Sunday, and that 10 more ballistic missiles had been fired at the kingdom’s south.

The south takes the brunt

Saudi Civil Defence said debris from two missiles intercepted over the Khamis Mushait and Ahad Rafidah areas wounded two people, a Saudi citizen and a resident from an Asian country it did not name. Three buildings and seven vehicles were damaged.

The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, said they had carried out “three military operations with dozens of ballistic missiles”, aimed at the King Khalid air base in Khamis Mushait and a naval base in Jazan. Their military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said the attack on Riyadh airport had “achieved its target”. The group says it is responding to Saudi attacks on Sanaa. Its claims could not be independently checked.

The airport closed after strikes earlier this month on another part of the complex, which killed more than a dozen people and wounded about 300. Among the dead was Mohammed Yusuf Ali, a man from Hyderabad.

Washington tightens the rules

The US embassy said on Sunday that American government employees now need special permission from the ambassador’s office to use any airport in Saudi Arabia, may not go within 20 miles (32 km) of the Yemen border, and need clearance to travel to Jizan, Asir and Najran provinces and to Qatif, Yanbu and Taif. It warned US citizens of possible attacks on airports, sudden airspace closures and cancelled flights.

The war is also costing Saudi Arabia its big events. Organisers said the 2027 Dakar Rally will not be held in the kingdom because of the attacks, and that a new location would be announced within days.

Indian flights stay grounded

For the large Indian community in Saudi Arabia, and the Umrah pilgrims who have been stuck there, the reopening does not yet mean a way home. Air India and Air India Express said on Saturday that they would not fly to Riyadh or Dammam until 7 November, and Jeddah until 31 October. IndiGo has dropped Riyadh until the end of the month, and Akasa Air has suspended Riyadh until 30 November.

Indian carriers had not announced any change to those plans by early Monday.