More than 4,000 flights departing Saudi Arabia have been cancelled or grounded since October 8, as Houthi attacks on the kingdom’s airports disrupt air travel for a second week.
Of the 8,883 departures scheduled between October 8 and October 15, just over 4,000, or about 46 per cent, were cancelled or did not operate, according to data shared by aviation consultancy Cirium.
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On Thursday, around 47 per cent of departures were affected.
More than 550 of the 1,178 scheduled flights were cancelled or grounded. The disruption was concentrated at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, where 298 of 366 departures (81.42 per cent) were affected.
The disruption follows a series of attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis on Saudi airports, against the backdrop of the US-Iran war that began on February 28.
Attacks on Abha and Riyadh airports have resulted in the deaths of Saudi nationals and foreign nationals over the past week.
A Notam issued by the Saudi aviation authority said Riyadh airport would remain closed until October 17.
Riyadh worst hit
Riyadh accounted for more than half of Thursday’s cancellations. Excluding the capital, about 31 per cent of departures from the rest of the kingdom were affected.
At Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport, 60 of 131 departures (45.80 per cent) were cancelled. Saudi authorities confirmed an attack on the airport late on October 11.
Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport, the kingdom’s busiest hub, fared better, with 87 of 385 departures (22.60 per cent) affected. In Madinah, 24 of 102 flights (23.53 per cent) were affected.
In the south-west, close to Yemen, 20 of 44 departures from Abha (45.45 per cent) were cancelled. In Jazan, three of seven flights (42.86 per cent) were cancelled, while both flights from Najran were grounded.
Saudia cancelled 224 of 392 departures on Thursday (57.14 per cent). Flynas cancelled 96 of 218 (44.04 per cent), while flyadeal cancelled 77 of 171 (45.03 per cent). Together, the three national carriers cancelled about half of their combined scheduled departures. Riyadh Air cancelled 13 of 20 departures (65 per cent).
Cirium said UAE airlines had also scaled back sharply. Emirates cancelled all eight of its departures from the kingdom, while Etihad Airways cancelled nine of 13 (69.23 per cent).
Flydubai cancelled 13 of 24 departures (54.17 per cent), while Air Arabia cancelled six of 17 (35.29 per cent). Combined, 36 of the four UAE carriers’ 62 scheduled departures were affected.
Qatar Airways cancelled 14 of 22 flights (63.64 per cent). Gulf Air cancelled five of 17 (29.41 per cent), while Oman Air cancelled one of eight (12.50 per cent).
South Asian carriers were also affected. IndiGo cancelled 12 of 16 flights (75 per cent). Air India cancelled all four of its flights, while Air India Express cancelled five of eight (62.50 per cent). Pakistan’s Fly Jinnah cancelled four of six flights (66.67 per cent), while SriLankan Airlines cancelled its only scheduled flight. Malaysia Airlines cancelled both of its flights.
Source: Khaleej Times