The renewed strike comes as Saudi airlines relocate about $4 billion worth of aircraft out of the Riyadh hub, which remains closed through October 17 following 10 Houthi attacks across five Saudi airports in a week that killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 300. Officials told the Wall Street Journal that "a week of continued Yemeni attacks has pushed the Saudi aviation industry into crisis," while Riyadh schools moved classes online.
The US Embassy in Riyadh barred American government employees from using any Saudi airport without special authorization and disclosed that "American citizens have been detained for taking photos of recent events" under Saudi Interior Ministry rules against filming missile interceptions or impact sites. International carriers including Qatar Airways, Etihad, Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, Gulf Air and IndiGo have suspended Saudi flights, while Delta delayed the launch of its direct US service to Riyadh until March 2027.