RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia confronted renewed missile and drone strikes on Monday, deepening travel chaos and rattling global energy circles after deadly weekend attacks shut down the capital’s main international airport.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh will remain closed through Oct. 17 following an assault that killed 14 people and injured more than 300, according to Saudi coalition statements and regional reporting. The deadly weekend strikes mark an unprecedented disruption to Saudi aviation, leading aviation analytics firm Cirium to report that 46 percent of flights across all Saudi airports were canceled on Monday.
Global airlines pull back
The airport closure has prompted widespread international flight cancellations. Delta Air Lines announced Monday that it will postpone the debut of its nonstop route connecting Atlanta and Riyadh until March. The service, which had been scheduled to launch Oct. 23 aboard an Airbus A350-900, would have been the first nonstop commercial link between the United States and Saudi Arabia operated by a U.S. carrier.
“Safety is going to make the call,” Delta Chief Executive Ed Bastian told CNBC prior to the announcement. In a formal statement, Delta said Saudi Arabia remains an important market and that the carrier is committed to serving the kingdom over the long term.
Regional carriers also halted operations. United Arab Emirates carrier Etihad Airways suspended flights to Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah, while Bahrain’s Gulf Air halted Riyadh flights through Saturday. FlightAware reported that more than 2,000 flights to and from King Khalid International Airport have been canceled since Thursday.
The pullbacks followed an advisory from the Federal Aviation Administration warning U.S. airlines to exercise caution when operating in or near Saudi airspace. The FAA notice, in place through Dec. 10, cited potential risks to aircraft at all altitudes from ongoing military action and navigation interference.
Economic plans and energy conferences disrupted
The violence, claimed by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement, has shaken high-profile business gatherings in Riyadh, including the World Petroleum Congress. Several major oil executives withdrew from the program as sirens and intercepted strikes rattled the capital.
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud addressed the disruption during the conference, pledging that the kingdom’s broader economic restructuring would press ahead regardless of the strikes.
“The events of recent weeks are serious. Our response must be equally serious,” Prince Abdulaziz said, adding that Vision 2030 “must continue. Investment must continue.”
The Houthis warned international airlines to avoid Saudi airports with the exception of Mecca and Medina, and political bureau member Mohammed al-Bukhaiti told AFP that workers should evacuate oil sites and airfields.
Investigation underway as defenses are tested
Saudi coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki said Monday that air defenses intercepted three ballistic missiles: one aimed at Riyadh and two fired toward the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait. The Houthis stated they also directed a drone at an airbase near the Yemeni border.
Reports on casualties from the weekend assaults varied slightly. CNBC reported that Saturday’s projectile strike on a passenger terminal killed at least 12 people, while Al Jazeera English reported at least 13 died Saturday and another person was killed in a follow-up strike on Sunday.
Authorities have initiated an investigation into why defense networks failed to block the initial barrages. Two regional officials told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that attackers launched drones to distract defenses before firing cruise and ballistic missiles that flew more than 620 miles to hit the airport.
Reactions from Washington produced conflicting signals. While the New York Post reported that President Donald Trump suggested over the weekend that the U.S. could join retaliatory strikes against the Houthis, Al Jazeera reported Trump criticized the group to reporters by saying they were “misbehaving very badly” while offering no commitment to intervene. What remains unknown is whether the coalition will launch a wider counteroffensive in Yemen or if regional powers can broker a halt to the escalation before Riyadh’s flagship investment summit later this month.
