Riyadh Airport Reopens Under Houthi Threat

Riyadh airport reopens two terminals today, but the comeback is shaky. Saudi Arabia says King Khalid International Airport resumed limited operations on Sunday, October 25, even as Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis vowed to keep hitting it, according to Reuters via Al-Monitor. For anyone who has ever stared at a departures board waiting for a delayed flight, this is that feeling multiplied by missiles.

What actually reopened

The airport announced late on Saturday that Terminal One would handle domestic flights and Terminal Two would handle international flights operated by national carriers. That means only two of the airport's five terminals are working. Terminal Three, which was damaged in the strikes, remains out of service, according to Bloomberg, as published by BusinessLine.

Bloomberg reports that dozens of flights left early on Sunday for places like London, Dubai and Beijing. Saudia and Flynas flew, and international airlines including Air India and Emirates appeared on the schedule. Still, most global carriers have kept their suspensions in place, so traffic in and out of the capital remains heavily limited.

Flight tracking data told the same story. Reuters noted that Flightradar24 showed little traffic at the airport on Sunday, even after the official announcement. A reopening on paper is not the same as a normal travel day.

Why it closed in the first place

The airport halted operations on October ten after an attack claimed by the Houthis. Reuters reports that the strike killed thirteen people, the deadliest attack in the kingdom in more than a decade. The National adds that more than three hundred people were injured.

The Saudi-led coalition said earlier this month that the Houthis had carried out twenty attacks on the airport between October one and October eleven. That is not a one-off incident. It is a sustained campaign aimed at one of the busiest gateways in the Gulf.

Houthis say the airport is still a target

Within hours of the reopening announcement, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the facility would "never be safe" and urged airlines, airport staff and travellers not to use it. The National reports that he called it a "military target" and said Saudi Arabia would bear responsibility for the consequences of resuming flights.

The fighting did not pause either. According to The National, Saudi air defences intercepted ten ballistic missiles fired toward the southern region, plus a ballistic missile and a drone aimed at Riyadh. A cruise missile aimed at Khamis Mushait was also destroyed. Reuters adds that shrapnel from intercepted missiles injured two people and damaged homes and vehicles.

A bigger war is pressing on the Gulf

This is not just a Saudi-Yemen story. Reuters describes the conflict as an increasingly destabilising element in the US-Israeli offensive against Iran, turning Saudi Arabia into a pressure point in the wider war. Bloomberg says the war is nearly eight months old and that President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened new strikes, potentially after the US midterm election on November three.

The Houthis have also pushed along the Red Sea coast toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping chokepoint for Gulf oil. Fighting in Yemen has shattered a United Nations-brokered truce that had mostly held since twenty twenty-two. For a broader view of the region, browse the world coverage on this site.

What it means for travellers and the economy

On Saturday the United States warned its citizens against travelling to Saudi Arabia and a dozen other countries in the region, citing terrorism and the threat of drone and missile attacks. The advisory said Houthi attacks have the potential to escalate rapidly, according to The National. Bloomberg adds that Washington ordered the departure of diplomatic staff from Saudi Arabia.

The business hit is real too. Riyadh postponed the Future Investment Initiative, the yearly gathering that usually pulls finance and energy leaders to the capital in October. Executives and consultants scrapped trips, and some visitors have been driving in from Dubai, Doha or Bahrain or taking the train from Dammam, Bloomberg reports.

That matters because Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has built a huge agenda around tourism, investment and artificial intelligence. A capital that cannot keep its main airport running smoothly is a hard place to sell as a global hub.

The takeaway

The headline is simple: the Riyadh airport reopens, flights are taking off, and the gates are technically open again. The reality is messier. Airlines are cautious, the threats are loud, and the missiles are still flying. The next few days will show whether foreign carriers trust the reopening enough to return, or whether this turns out to be a pause rather than a recovery.