Riyadh airport attack kills three; FlyDubai and PIA cut Saudi flights

Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said on Friday that two strikes on Thursday targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and a Saudia airlines aircraft killed three Saudi nationals and injured other people. The attack has led airlines to cancel or suspend flights to several Saudi cities.

Key facts

• Thursday's attack killed three Saudi citizens and injured others, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said.
• Two strikes hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and a Saudia airlines aircraft.
• FlyDubai is cancelling flights to Riyadh and Yanbu through Saturday and to Abha through Sunday.
• Pakistan International Airlines has suspended flights to Riyadh.
• The authority did not say which weapons were used or who carried out the attack.

What happened at Riyadh's airport?

Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said two strikes on Thursday targeted King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital and a Saudia airlines aircraft at the airport. Three Saudi citizens were killed and other people were injured, according to the authority's statement on Friday.

The statement did not identify those responsible, and it did not specify the types of weapons used. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen have claimed they targeted the airport with a ballistic missile.

Which flights are affected?

FlyDubai announced it was cancelling flights to the Saudi cities of Riyadh and Yanbu through Saturday, and to Abha through Sunday. Pakistan International Airlines also suspended flights to Riyadh. The source does not state when services will resume.

What else is happening in the region?

In Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa, residents reported heavy explosions overnight into Friday as fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces resumed. The Houthi-run Health Ministry's spokesperson, Anees al-Asbahi, said on X that two overnight strikes on Sanaa injured six people, including a child.

Separately, the British military said a vessel was struck by an "unknown projectile" off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, 13 nautical miles west of Al-Jazeera, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center. The fire was extinguished; the vessel was not identified and the crew's status was not immediately known. Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed it had struck a large liquefied petroleum gas carrier south of the Strait of Hormuz, without providing evidence.

Lebanon's Health Ministry said an Israeli drone strike near the village of Hawsh al-Sayed Ali, along the border with Syria, wounded six people, including two women, five of them Syrian citizens.

What this means for travellers

Passengers booked on FlyDubai services to Riyadh, Yanbu or Abha within the stated cancellation window, and on Pakistan International Airlines flights to Riyadh, should check directly with their airline about the status of their booking. The source gives no timeline for the resumption of cancelled services.

No further details on the airport attack, the weapons used or those responsible had been released by Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation at the time of its Friday statement.