RIYADH: A missile attack on King Khalid International Airport killed 12 people and injured 309 Saturday noon, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said, as the capital’s main airport suspended operations to assess the damage.
Some of the injured were in critical condition, GACA said in a statement issued early Sunday. Four Saudi citizens were among the dead, along with two Bangladeshi nationals and one citizen each from Palestine, the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Sudan.
Hours later, authorities reported another attack, this time on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, announced the incident on X.
It was the first reported attack on the Dammam airport since the war with Iran began on Feb. 28. The airport is one of the Kingdom’s busiest transport hubs and its main gateway in the east.
At King Khalid International Airport, the immediate task was to assess the damage before operations could resume.
“This attack comes amidst ongoing blatant assaults targeting civil aviation facilities in the Kingdom,” GACA said.
The disruption added to an already strained flight network. At least 291 flights at the Riyadh airport had been canceled in the preceding 24 hours, according to FlightAware. Air India, FlyDubai, Lufthansa Group and Pakistan International Airlines had already suspended services to Riyadh and other Saudi airports for varying periods before Saturday’s attack.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency had also expanded its guidance on Saudi airspace, citing the Houthis’ ability to strike farther inside the Kingdom, including Riyadh, and an increased focus on aviation infrastructure.
The danger extends beyond the targets on the ground. Missile and drone attacks, together with efforts to intercept them, “create an increased risk of misidentification of civil aircraft,” the agency said.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry urged travelers abroad who could not reach their destinations in the Kingdom to contact the nearest Saudi mission for assistance. King Khalid International Airport advised passengers to check with their airlines before setting out for the airport.
