Riyadh airport status, airline suspensions and UK, US, Australian and other government travel advice for Saudi Arabia, each dated and sourced.
Last updated: 23 October 2026, 05:45 UK time. This page lists the current state of Saudi airports, airline schedules, government travel advice and entry rules, with the date and source of each item.
At a glance
- Riyadh (King Khalid International): reopened on 18 October to traffic that has prior permission from the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). Saudia and flynas flew a limited number of flights on 21 October. Most foreign airlines have not returned. (Inside Aviation News, 18 Oct; AP, 21 Oct)
- Dammam (King Fahd International): attacked on 21 October; GACA said on 22 October that operations had resumed and air traffic was normal. (Arab News, 22 Oct)
- Jeddah: operating with some delays and cancellations. (US Mission, 21 Oct)
- Travel advice: Australia, New Zealand and Germany advise against all travel to Saudi Arabia. The UK, Canada, Ireland and France advise against non-essential travel. The US is at Level 3, “Reconsider travel”, and on 21 October ordered non-emergency embassy staff and family members to leave.
- Before you go to any Saudi airport: confirm with your airline that your flight is operating.
Airports
| Airport | Status | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Khalid International, Riyadh (RUH) | Reopened 18 October, not to scheduled traffic. NOTAM A3650/26, in force from 18:45 UTC on 17 October until further notice, requires prior GACA permission for every arrival and departure. Saudia and flynas operated flights on 21 October. The US Mission said on 21 October that operations “remain suspended”. Saudia and Riyadh Air have routed some Riyadh passengers through Al Qassim Airport with road transfers. | 18 to 22 Oct 2026 | Inside Aviation News; AP; US Mission; Aerospace Global News |
| King Fahd International, Dammam (DMM) | Attacked on the evening of 21 October; GACA said two people were killed and eight injured. GACA said on 22 October that operations had resumed and air traffic was back to normal. Canada advises against all travel to this airport. | 22 Oct 2026 | Arab News; Government of Canada |
| King Abdulaziz International, Jeddah (JED) | Operational with some delays and cancellations. | 21 Oct 2026 | US Mission |
| Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz, Madinah (MED) | No closure reported. Malaysia Airlines resumed Jeddah and Madinah services from 18 October. | 20 Oct 2026 | The National |
| Abha (AHB) | Closed nightly 18:00 to 06:00 Saudi time under NOTAM A3625/26, which ran to 06:00 on 22 October. A newer notice has not been confirmed. | 20 Oct 2026 | Wego (NOTAM summary) |
| Najran (EAM) and Jizan (GIZ) | Closed around the clock until 18:00 Saudi time on 22 October (NOTAMs A3627/26 and A3626/26). Status after that time has not been confirmed. | 20 Oct 2026 | Wego (NOTAM summary) |
Airlines
Airline schedules change daily. The dates below are those published on the date shown. Check with your airline.
| Airline | Saudi flights | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudia, flynas | Operating flights at Riyadh on 21 October | 21 Oct | AP |
| Saudia, Riyadh Air | Routing some Riyadh passengers through Al Qassim Airport with road transfers; Riyadh Air planned special flights from London Heathrow, Madrid and Bangkok to Al Qassim on 22 October | 22 Oct | Aerospace Global News |
| Emirates | Dubai to Jeddah and Dubai to Riyadh flights resuming 20 to 21 October; schedule changes at Dammam | 20 Oct | The National |
| Qatar Airways | Riyadh and Dammam suspended up to and including 24 October; Jeddah cut from seven to four daily flights | 20 Oct | The National |
| Etihad Airways | Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam cancelled until 24 October | 20 Oct | The National |
| flydubai | Riyadh, Dammam and Abha cancelled up to and including 24 October | 20 Oct | The National |
| Air Arabia | Sharjah to Riyadh, Abha, Dammam and Taif cancelled; no resumption date announced | 20 Oct | The National |
| Gulf Air | Flights after 18 October operating as scheduled | 20 Oct | The National |
| Oman Air | All Riyadh flights suspended until 22 October | 20 Oct | The National |
| SalamAir | Riyadh and Dammam cancelled until 31 October | 20 Oct | The National |
| British Airways | Limited Riyadh service (one daily flight) returns 3 November | 20 Oct | The National |
| Lufthansa | Riyadh suspended until 18 November; Dammam through 30 November | 20 Oct | The National |
| Eurowings | Jeddah resumes 12 November | 20 Oct | The National |
| Air France | Riyadh suspended. Reported end dates differ: up to 24 October (The National, 20 Oct); through 31 October (Expeditors, 21 Oct) | 20 to 21 Oct | The National; Expeditors |
| KLM | Riyadh and Dammam cancelled until 31 October | 20 Oct | The National |
| Air India, Air India Express | Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam suspended until 24 October | 20 Oct | The National |
| IndiGo | Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah cancelled up to 24 October | 20 Oct | The National |
| Akasa Air | Riyadh suspended until 24 October; Jeddah until 21 October | 20 Oct | The National |
| Pakistan International Airlines | Riyadh suspended since 9 October, no resumption date; other Saudi services reported to be continuing | 20 Oct | The National |
| Malaysia Airlines | Jeddah and Madinah resumed from 18 October | 20 Oct | The National |
| Philippine Airlines | Riyadh flights PR654 and PR655 suspended until 29 November | 20 Oct | The National |
| Cathay Pacific | Riyadh suspended to 31 January 2027 | 20 Oct | The National |
| Scoot | Singapore to Jeddah cancelled until 2 December | 20 Oct | The National |
| Delta Air Lines | Atlanta to Riyadh launch, due 23 October, postponed to March 2027 | 20 Oct | The National |
Government travel advice
| Country | Advice | Page updated | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Against all travel within 10 km of the Yemen border; against all but essential travel to the rest of Saudi Arabia. Suggests British nationals who want to leave consider travelling by land to a neighbouring country and flying from there. | 21 Oct 2026 (still current 23 Oct) | GOV.UK |
| United States | Level 3, “Reconsider travel”. Do not travel to the Yemen border. On 21 October the State Department ordered some non-emergency staff and family members to leave. US government employees need special authorisation to use any Saudi airport. | Advisory 10 Oct 2026; security alert 21 Oct 2026 | US Mission; US Mission alert; UPI |
| Australia | Do not travel, to all of Saudi Arabia. Do not travel to King Khalid International Airport; extreme caution at other airports. Postpone planned travel, including religious travel. Consider leaving if it is safe to do so. | Page updated 19 Oct 2026, still current 23 Oct | Smartraveller |
| New Zealand | Do not travel. Do not go to King Khalid International Airport. New Zealanders are asked to consider leaving when it is safe to do so. | 14 Oct 2026 | SafeTravel |
| Germany | Travel warning (Reisewarnung) for Saudi Arabia. Warns against using Riyadh international airport; special caution at other airports. | 19 Oct 2026 | Auswärtiges Amt |
| Canada | Avoid non-essential travel. Avoid all travel to King Khalid International (Riyadh) and King Fahd International (Dammam) airports, to Asir, Jazan and Najran provinces, and within 30 km of the Yemen border. | 22 Oct 2026 | travel.gc.ca |
| Ireland | Avoid non-essential travel. Avoid all travel to and from King Khalid International Airport; avoid non-essential travel to other Saudi airports. Suggests airports in Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Qatar and the UAE. | 12 Oct 2026 (still current 22 Oct) | Ireland.ie |
| France | French nationals in Saudi Arabia should avoid non-essential journeys. Strongly advises against going to or transiting the airports of Riyadh (King Khalid), Jeddah (King Abdulaziz) and Dammam (King Fahd), and against travel to Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam without a compelling reason. Strongly advises against the Najran, Abha, Khamis Mushait and Jizan areas. | 12 Oct 2026 (still valid 23 Oct) | France Diplomatie |
| India | No advice level published. The Embassy in Riyadh advises Indian nationals to remain calm and vigilant, stay indoors during an aerial attack and follow local authorities. | 13 Oct 2026 | Embassy of India, Riyadh |
Visas and entry
- We have not found an official Saudi statement, as of 23 October, that suspends tourist visas, eVisas or Umrah visas. Check with the Saudi embassy in your country before you travel.
- For British passport holders, the UK government lists an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) for tourism, business, study, medical treatment and Umrah outside the Hajj season, valid for 730 days with up to 180 days in total in the country, and a tourist e-visa valid for 365 days. Passports must be valid for at least six months after arrival. Hajj needs a separate visa. (GOV.UK, page updated 21 Oct)
- Overstays caused by cancelled flights: the Embassy of India said on 13 October that Saudi authorities had told it that Indian nationals on visit, tourist, Umrah or business visas who are forced to overstay because there are no flights would be allowed to leave without paying fines, and that they should leave as soon as flights are available. (Embassy of India, 13 Oct)
- Land routes: all land border crossings, including the King Fahd Causeway to Bahrain, were operating on 21 October, as were the international airports of Bahrain, Jordan (Amman), Oman (Muscat), Qatar (Doha) and the UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah). (US Mission, 21 Oct) If you plan to leave through a neighbouring country, check its visa rules first.
If you are in Saudi Arabia now
- Emergency numbers: 911 (police, fire, ambulance). If you do not have a Saudi SIM card, call 112. Police 999, ambulance 997. (GOV.UK; US Mission)
- Alerts: follow Saudi Civil Defense alerts sent to mobile phones by cellular broadcast. During an aerial attack, stay away from windows, glass doors and fallen debris. (US Mission, 21 Oct)
- Do not film: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior has warned that filming, publishing or sharing information about missile and drone interceptions and impact sites exposes people to legal liability. (US Mission, 21 Oct)
- Before going to an airport: confirm your flight is operating with the airline.
| Nationality | Register / contact | Source |
|---|---|---|
| British | Sign up for FCDO travel advice email alerts. FCDO London, 24 hours: 020 7008 5000. | GOV.UK |
| American | Enrol in STEP. Embassy Riyadh +966 11 835 4000; Consulate Jeddah +966 12 220 5000; Consulate Dhahran +966 13 839 5700; 24/7 +1 202 501 4444 (from abroad). | US Mission |
| Canadian | Register with ROCA. Embassy Riyadh +966 11 202 3288; emergency +1 613 996 8885 or [email protected]. | travel.gc.ca |
| Irish | Register through Citizens Registration. Embassy +966 550 543 386; Dublin duty officer +353 1 408 2000. | Ireland.ie |
| French | Register on Fil d’Ariane. Embassy +966 11 51 02 769. | France Diplomatie |
| German | Register on the Krisenvorsorgeliste (ELEFAND). | Auswärtiges Amt |
| Indian | Register with the Embassy. 24-hour control room +966 554412016, +966 542126784; toll free 8002471234 (from within Saudi Arabia); WhatsApp +966 536216082 (messages only). | Embassy of India, 13 Oct |
| New Zealander | Register on SafeTravel. | SafeTravel |
Latest news
- Saudi Civil Defense Issues 4th Riyadh Alert in October After Missile Intercept
- Australia Tells Citizens in Saudi Arabia to Stockpile Food, Shelter in Place
- Houthi Attack on King Fahd Airport Kills 1, Injures 8, GACA Says
- US Orders Non-Emergency Diplomats Out of Saudi Arabia Amid Houthi Attacks
- Riyadh Airport Reopens, Coalition Intercepts 5 Drones Same Morning
- India’s Saudi Advisory for 2.65 Million Stops Short of Evacuation
- Iran Claims 7 Oil Tankers Damaged Overnight in Strait of Hormuz