Repeated Houthi Attacks Shut Riyadh’s Primary Airport and Strand Thousands of Travelers Across the Region
The attacks reportedly killed more than a dozen people and injured hundreds, while airlines cancelled or rerouted services affecting thousands of passengers, including Bangladeshi migrant workers.
A wave of strikes claimed by Yemen's Houthi movement has left King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh closed for an extended period after successive hits that killed more than a dozen people and injured hundreds. The attacks, concentrated over the weekend and continuing into the following day, have disrupted commercial aviation links between Saudi Arabia and multiple countries while raising fresh concerns about the protection of major civilian infrastructure in the Gulf.
The most lethal strike occurred on Saturday when a projectile struck the airport complex. Saudi civil aviation authorities confirmed multiple fatalities and stated that the dead included two Bangladeshi nationals as well as citizens of Saudi Arabia, the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, and Sudan. Hospital sources placed the total number of injured above three hundred, with a significant portion requiring intensive care. A subsequent strike the next day killed at least one more person and wounded additional bystanders, according to statements from the Saudi-led coalition. Coalition officials characterized the operations as deliberate attacks on civilian targets and described them as war crimes, pledging a firm military reply.
Houthi spokesmen publicly accepted responsibility for the weekend actions and warned that other Saudi airports and segments of the kingdom's airspace—except those serving Makkah and Madinah—could face further strikes. The group has presented the campaign as a response to ongoing Saudi air operations inside Yemen. In practical terms, the strikes forced Saudi authorities to suspend all flight movements at King Khalid International Airport while engineers assessed damage to runways, radar, and terminal facilities. The suspension was later prolonged, producing unusually empty airspace over the capital and compelling airlines to cancel or reroute large numbers of services.
The effects have been especially pronounced for Bangladesh. Officials at the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh reported the cancellation of at least eight to ten scheduled Dhaka–Riyadh flights operated by Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Saudia, US-Bangla Airlines, and Riyadh Air. Several thousand passengers were affected. Many are migrant workers who had already invested substantial sums in recruitment fees and visas; others were returning home after periods of employment. Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a condemnation of the attack that killed its citizens, offered condolences to all bereaved families, and confirmed that its embassy in Riyadh was coordinating medical support and documentation for the injured. At least four wounded Bangladeshis were reported to remain in intensive care.
The incidents also illuminate broader vulnerabilities. Despite substantial investment in layered air-defense systems, repeated penetrations of Riyadh's main airport have prompted questions about interception rates against the combination of ballistic missiles and one-way attack drones employed by the Houthis. For Saudi Arabia the attacks complicate efforts to maintain the image of a secure business and transit hub that hosts millions of foreign workers. For Bangladesh the stakes are both humanitarian and economic: Saudi Arabia is among the largest destinations for Bangladeshi labor and a major source of remittances. Prolonged flight disruptions therefore translate into delayed departures, potential job losses, and uncertainty for families dependent on overseas income.
Aviation regulators and airlines have advised passengers to verify flight status before leaving for airports and to avoid non-essential travel through affected Saudi facilities. International safety bodies have revised advisories urging caution across portions of Saudi airspace. As of Monday no precise timetable had been announced for the full restoration of normal operations at King Khalid International Airport. Repair work and security reassessments continue, while Houthi statements indicate that additional attacks remain possible so long as the wider confrontation in Yemen persists.
The episode adds another dimension of risk to an already unstable regional environment. Civilian deaths, the deliberate targeting of international aviation infrastructure, and the secondary consequences for labor-migration corridors have drawn expressions of concern from multiple governments. Whether the current closure ends within days or stretches further will hinge on the speed of physical repairs, the performance of defensive systems, and any change in the tempo of cross-border strikes. Until then, thousands of travelers—including large contingents of Bangladeshi workers—remain in limbo, and regional authorities continue to confront the practical challenge of shielding major airports from increasingly sophisticated non-state arsenals.