Riyadh airport flights broadly back to normal after days of disruption

Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport is gradually returning to normal operations following a series of delays and cancellations over the past few days. According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, 63 flights (18%) were delayed on Friday morning, while 44 flights (13%) were cancelled. This compares to Thursday's 164 delays (42%) and 167 cancellations (43%).

By 8am on Friday, flights were expected to depart on schedule. Disruptions began on Wednesday morning after Houthi attacks targeted the airport and Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia. The attacks resulted in three fatalities and 36 injuries, according to the General Authority of Civil Aviation.

Several airlines experienced cancellations, including Emirates flight EK820, which faced delays on both Wednesday and Thursday before being cancelled on Friday. Flydubai flight FZ848, which experienced delays on Thursday, was also cancelled and is now scheduled to resume service on Saturday. Additionally, several domestic flights to India, such as Air India AI2214, IndiGo IGO74, and Air India Express IX896, were cancelled.

Low-cost carrier Flyadeal also cancelled several domestic flights, including F3111 to Jeddah and F323 to Abha. The ongoing disruption began with drone and missile strikes on King Khalid International Airport and Abha International Airport, which were claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels.