• German, Indian, Gulf carriers suspend services amid Houthi threat; Flightradar24 logs 131 cancellations
• European regulator widens no-fly advisory; aviation risk warning urges airlines to avoid Saudi skies
RIYADH: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) joined a widening wave of global carriers halting operations to the Saudi capital on Friday, temporarily suspending its flights to Riyadh as escalating missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Houthi forces severely disrupted regional aviation.
A spokesperson for PIA said the flag carrier temporarily suspended its flight operations to Riyadh, citing the “situation in the Middle East”. The airline advised ticket holders to contact its call centre to check the latest status of their flights before departing for the airport.
The Pakistan Airports Authority confirmed PIA’s move to pause Riyadh-bound routes, while clarifying in an official statement that other flight operations to Saudi Arabia continued as usual and that “speculations circulating on social media are not true.”
PIA’s decision mirrors widespread precautionary measures taken by international carriers following intensifying hostilities between Saudi forces and Houthi fighters.
Lufthansa Group suspended its services to the Saudi capital until Oct 16, with a company spokesperson citing “current developments in the Middle East”. Indian airlines enacted similar measures: IndiGo cancelled all flights to and from Riyadh until Oct 9, while Air India and Akasa Air cancelled flights until Oct 10.
Gulf carriers were also impacted. Etihad Airways cancelled six flights between Abu Dhabi and King Khalid International Airport on Friday and two scheduled for Saturday, citing “operational disruption at Riyadh airport”. Budget carrier flydubai also grounded multiple regional routes.
“Flights to Riyadh and Yanbu have been cancelled up to and including 10 October, while flights to Abha have been cancelled up to and including 11 October,” a flydubai spokesperson said.
Global flight tracker Flightradar24 recorded 131 cancelled flights to and from Riyadh by Friday afternoon alongside 154 delays, following 335 cancellations on Thursday.
King Khalid International Airport is Saudi Arabia’s second-busiest aviation hub after Jeddah, handling 296,800 flights in 2025, or an average of roughly 813 per day.
The widespread route suspensions follow fatal strikes on the Saudi capital’s airport. Yemen’s Houthis claimed responsibility, asserting they struck the airport using two cruise missiles.
On Friday, the group reiterated threats against commercial aircraft traversing Saudi airspace, warning that the skies represented an active theatre of operations for its missile units, with exceptions granted only above the holy cities of Makkah and Madina.
The escalation prompted swift international safety advisories. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) widened its recommended no-fly zone over Saudi airspace, adding a sector in northwestern Saudi Arabia to an advisory first issued Sept 30.
“These recurrent missile and drone attacks, together with the activation of air-defence systems, create an increased risk of misidentification of civil aircraft, as well as risks associated with missile and drone overflights, interception activity and falling debris,” EASA warned.
OPSGROUP, an aviation risk organisation representing nearly 10,000 industry professionals, issued a direct “do not fly” warning to members, citing threats of prolonged missile activity and defensive misjudgement. “We now recommend avoiding operations in Saudi Arabia entirely, including the use of Saudi airports as en route alternates,” the organisation said.
Compounding concerns, the US Embassy in the United Arab Emirates urged Americans to exercise heightened vigilance, warning hostilities could rapidly escalate. The disruptions also cast uncertainty over Riyadh’s upcoming WPC Energy Congress, scheduled to host international oil ministers and executives starting on Sunday.
While organisers continued promoting the event, Italian Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin announced he would participate via video rather than attend in person.
Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2026
