Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates Yemen

More than 4,000 scheduled flights departing Saudi Arabia were cancelled or did not operate between October 8 and October 15, with Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport remaining closed until October 17, according to a Saudi aviation authority notice.

Data shared by aviation consultancy Cirium showed that slightly more than 4,000 of 8,883 scheduled departures during the seven-day period were affected, equivalent to about 46 per cent of the planned schedule. The disruption has continued into a second week following attacks on Saudi airports by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis.

The attacks have taken place against the backdrop of the US-Iran war, which began on February 28. Attacks on airports in Abha and Riyadh over the past week resulted in the deaths of Saudi and foreign nationals.

Riyadh accounts for most cancellations

On Thursday, about 47 per cent of Saudi Arabia’s planned departures were cancelled or grounded. More than 550 of 1,178 scheduled flights did not operate.

Riyadh was the centre of the disruption, accounting for more than half of Thursday’s cancellations. At King Khalid International Airport, 298 of 366 planned departures were affected, or 81.42 per cent. Excluding Riyadh, around 31 per cent of departures elsewhere in the kingdom were cancelled or did not operate.

A Notam, or notice to airmen, issued by the Saudi aviation authority said King Khalid International Airport would remain closed until October 17.

Other Saudi airports also recorded significant disruption. At Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport, 60 of 131 scheduled departures were cancelled, representing 45.80 per cent. Saudi authorities confirmed an attack on the airport late on October 11.

Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport, Saudi Arabia’s busiest aviation hub, was less affected than Riyadh and Dammam. Cirium data showed 87 of 385 planned departures were cancelled or grounded, or 22.60 per cent. In Madinah, 24 of 102 flights, or 23.53 per cent, were affected.

Airports in the south-western part of the kingdom also saw cancellations. Abha had 20 cancellations among 44 scheduled departures, or 45.45 per cent. Jazan recorded three cancelled flights out of seven, while both scheduled departures from Najran were grounded.

Saudi and regional airlines cut schedules

Saudi carriers cancelled about half of their combined scheduled departures on Thursday. Saudia cancelled 224 of 392 flights, or 57.14 per cent, while Flynas cancelled 96 of 218, or 44.04 per cent. Flyadeal cancelled 77 of 171 departures, equivalent to 45.03 per cent.

Riyadh Air cancelled 13 of its 20 scheduled departures, representing 65 per cent of its planned flights.

UAE airlines also reduced their Saudi schedules sharply, Cirium said. Emirates cancelled all eight of its scheduled departures from the kingdom. Etihad Airways cancelled nine of 13 flights, or 69.23 per cent.

Flydubai cancelled 13 of 24 departures, or 54.17 per cent, and Air Arabia cancelled six of 17, or 35.29 per cent. Across the four UAE carriers, 36 of 62 scheduled Saudi departures were affected.

Among other Gulf airlines, Qatar Airways cancelled 14 of 22 flights, or 63.64 per cent. Gulf Air cancelled five of 17 departures, or 29.41 per cent, while Oman Air cancelled one of eight flights, or 12.50 per cent.

Several South Asian carriers were also affected. IndiGo cancelled 12 of 16 scheduled flights, or 75 per cent. Air India cancelled all four of its planned services, while Air India Express cancelled five of eight flights, or 62.50 per cent.

Pakistan’s Fly Jinnah cancelled four of six departures, equivalent to 66.67 per cent. SriLankan Airlines cancelled its only scheduled flight, and Malaysia Airlines cancelled both of its planned departures.