PIA temporarily suspends flights to Riyadh citing ‘situation in the Middle East’: spokesperson

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) suspended its flight operations to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia temporarily on Friday due to the volatile situation in the Middle East, a spokesperson announced. The airline encouraged passengers to contact their call center to verify the current status of their flights. This move follows intensifying clashes between Saudi and Houthi forces.

On Friday, 104 flights to or from Riyadh were canceled, while another 154 were delayed. As of Thursday, Flightradar24 reported that 335 flights had already been canceled. On Wednesday, three individuals lost their lives in attacks on two Saudi international airports, including Riyadh, following Yemen's Houthis' claim of firing on both locations.

Among the casualties were a Pakistani, five Saudi citizens, and two Egyptians. Riyadh airport sustained further damage in another attack on Thursday. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed strong condemnation of these Houthi assaults on Saudi Arabia, reaffirming Pakistan's dedication to Saudi Arabia's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security within the Makkah Defence Alliance.

Signed on August 7, the alliance aims to bolster collective defense and empower its members to consider an attack on one as an attack on all. Pakistan and Turkey committed to rapidly deploying military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia upon the commencement of the US-Iran war. However, PIA had previously suspended flights to several Gulf countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait, shortly after the conflict began. Notably, PIA had not initially suspended operations to Saudi Arabia despite the US-Iran war onset.