Empty offices in Riyadh and children told to stay home

• Work and schools move online
• Airport closures disrupt regional flights
• ‘Reality’ sets in after Houthi attacks

Riyadh began the week tentatively after the Saudi capital’s deadliest attack in more than 20 years.

King Khalid International Airport remained closed after Saturday’s missile strike killed at least 13 people and injured more than 300. The rest of Riyadh returned to work with the shock still hanging over the city.

“It’s weird,” said one resident, who described Sunday, the first day of the Saudi working week, as feeling relatively normal despite widespread work-from-home instructions.

“Today is a little bit more subdued,” he said. “I think reality is kicking in.”

Companies were still telling employees to avoid offices and major commercial centres such as the King Abdullah Financial District. These were far quieter than usual, office workers said.

Schools moved lessons online, “following the directive of the Ministry of Education”, an email from one school to parents said.

Social media users shared information on how to donate blood around the capital. Hospitals were reportedly inundated with donors supporting victims of the attacks.

At least 20 people have been killed in missile strikes this month in a targeted campaign led by the Yemeni Houthi militia against Saudi ports and airports.

Saudi officials have struck a resilient tone.

“The word fear in the Saudi dictionary does not exist,” energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told an energy conference in Riyadh on Monday.

“We as Saudis are fearless and determined people,” he said, “that shall prove to the world that whatever we’re going through, we will overcome it.”

Nonetheless, many high-profile attendees pulled out of the World Petroleum Congress at the last minute after the cancellation of flights to and from Saudi Arabia.

Further reading:

• Houthi attacks threaten Saudi Arabia’s investor confidence
• Flight disruptions spread following Riyadh airport attack
• Saudi minister says Riyadh is safe, despite deadly airport attacks

Disruptions continued into Monday, spreading from the capital’s airport to other cities. Flight cancellations spiked in Dammam, which has also suffered attacks, and in Jeddah.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency continues to warn against any flight over Jeddah airspace, which covers Saudi Arabia.

Private jet companies reported slightly higher demand, apparently from people trying to leave the country at short notice, said Asmae Zahir, account manager at Pristine Jets in Dubai.

Zahir described many of those enquiring as “newcomers” – people who had not previously chartered private jets.

AGBI spoke to private car drivers who had seen a spike in requests for rides from Riyadh to neighbouring countries such as Bahrain and the UAE. Passengers were paying about SAR1,000 ($265) for an SUV journey to Bahrain and around SAR2,500 for the 1,000km trip to Dubai.

Demand was so high that strangers shared journeys to split the cost, the drivers said.