About 34% of flights scheduled to depart from Saudi Arabia on Monday were canceled or did not fly, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, as Houthi attacks kept most foreign airlines away from Riyadh and government agencies in the capital told employees to work from home.
Cirium data reported by Skift showed 322 of 941 scheduled flights from the kingdom were canceled or did not operate on Monday, an improvement from Sunday, when more than half were affected. Riyadh had the highest cancellation rate at 66%, followed by Abha at 48%, Dammam at 31% and Jeddah at 15%.
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh reopened on Sunday after a week-long shutdown, but landings and departures require prior permission under a notice to airmen that lists no end date. The airport has also told airlines it cannot be used as an alternate in emergencies, Bloomberg reported.
Saudi carriers Saudia, flynas, Riyadh Air and flyadeal have resumed flights at Riyadh. Flydubai, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways have extended their suspensions of Riyadh services through October 24, and Qatar Airways has cut its Jeddah schedule to four daily flights from seven.
Government agencies in Riyadh told employees to work from home starting Monday, one worker and two consultants told AFP. A message received by one government employee on Sunday evening said remote work would apply from Monday to Thursday this week.
Companies in the King Abdullah Financial District have also asked staff to work from home, according to other sources cited by AFP. The 99-storey Kingdom Centre, which houses the International Monetary Fund’s regional office, has asked workers in its offices to stay away until further notice.
An attack on King Khalid International Airport on October 10 killed 13 people and injured hundreds, AFP reported. In total, 20 people have been killed in attacks on Saudi airports since the start of October, according to the agency.
On Monday, the Houthis said they had attacked an Aramco site in Yanbu, the Shaybah oilfield, King Khalid International Airport and Abha airport. There was no immediate Saudi confirmation, and Reuters said it could not immediately verify the claims.
The disruption has led Saudi Arabia to postpone several high-profile events. The kingdom’s flagship Future Investment Initiative conference was postponed to 2027 on Monday.
