Attacks trigger cancelled Saudi flights and travel warnings

• Warnings not to broach airspace
• Saudi airports still operating
• Expected impact on events season

Multiple airlines have suspended flights to Saudi Arabia and aviation safety groups are warning against travel to the kingdom following a series of Houthi missile strikes on airports this week.

German airline Lufthansa told AGBI it was halting flights to Riyadh until October 16, while Dutch carrier KLM said its flights would not resume until October 25.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the OPS Group, a US risk advisory that works with aviation companies, told airlines on Friday that they should avoid Saudi airspace.

Western foreign ministries, including those of the UK, France and Germany, have advised their citizens against all but essential travel to Riyadh, as the Yemeni Houthi militia said they intended to attempt further attacks.

In a statement on Wednesday, the group appeared to tell airlines to seek Houthi permission before flying to Riyadh.

“The Houthis have expanded their target list beyond Saudi Aramco’s energy infrastructure and military bases to include civilian airports and commercial aviation,” said Mohammed Albasha, founder of US risk advisory the Basha Report.

“This is part of a broader Houthi maximum-pressure campaign targeting Saudi energy, transportation, military infrastructure, and now international air travel.”

Two ballistic missiles hit King Khalid Airport in Riyadh on Thursday, killing three people, injuring numerous more and apparently destroying a Saudia passenger jet.

Airports operating normally

As of Friday, Saudi airports were operating as usual, despite initial disruptions immediately after the attacks.

Reports indicate that at least six people have been killed in Houthi attacks on airports in the kingdom this week.

Data available on FlightRadar, a plane-tracking website, showed continued traffic at Riyadh Airport, while AGBI has seen messages to staff from Saudi airlines assuring them that they believe it safe to continue flying.

“The Saudi authorities have sought to keep airports and airspace open and operating as much as possible,” said Andrew Nicholson, CEO of Osprey Flight Solutions, a UK-based aviation risk management company. Despite this, he said, “it is likely that international airlines will now be reevaluating their flights to the country”.

The decision for Saudi airports to remain open after the attacks was “quite unusual”, said Andrew Charlton, managing director for Swiss consultancy Aviation Advocacy. “Your default position for anybody who works in aviation is safety first. We’re very conservative like that.”

Airlines in the Gulf have faced steep challenges since February, when a barrage of Iranian missiles across the region led to airport closures and flight cancellations.

That experience showed “that it’s possible to operate consciously even in an environment where you are literally under attack”, Charlton said. “The fundamental difference is that the Iranians never said they were targeting aviation.”

On Thursday, the Houthis renewed their warning that airlines should avoid Saudi Arabia.

“I’d have thought at this juncture, passengers would start voting with their feet,” said Charlton.

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AGBI spoke to travellers who had changed their plans following events on Thursday, such as Stephen Marriott, a UK-born cybersecurity consultant who had been due to travel to Riyadh on Saturday.

He had been flying on business but made the “disappointing decision” to postpone following UK government warnings so as not to invalidate his travel insurance.

“Safety and adherence to official travel guidance must come first,” he said.

Conference season

A range of high-profile events is scheduled in Riyadh over the coming weeks, including the 10th edition of the country’s flagship Future Investment Initiative conference.

The symposium intends to go ahead as planned, a person with knowledge of the matter said, but event experts said the most recent developments could affect attendance.

Italian energy minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin had arranged to be in Riyadh for an energy conference next week. He told Reuters on Friday that he would not attend, without offering a specific reason.

Warnings from foreign ministries in particular are “a big deal”, said Ian Carless, partner at Dubai event venue Warehouse Four and host of the EventNewsDXB podcast.

“A lot of corporate travel policies and event insurances take their lead from those advisories,” he said. “You can only assume that, with those travel advisories, people are definitely going to stay away.”