Several countries have issued warnings to their citizens against traveling to Saudi Arabia due to a series of Houthi attacks on airports within the kingdom. On Monday, Australia and New Zealand joined the United States, Canada, the UK, South Korea, and Japan in advising against travel to Saudi Arabia.
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade recommended that Australians avoid King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and reconsider travel to other Saudi airports. New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade advised its citizens not to travel to the main airport in the Saudi capital, as well as the provinces of Najran, Jazan, and Asir, and to avoid non-essential travel to the entire country.
The US embassy in Riyadh issued a statement on Sunday urging US citizens to reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia, citing threats from Iran and the Iranian-backed Houthis. Global Affairs Canada also issued an advisory against non-essential travel to any part of Saudi Arabia. South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended that its citizens in Saudi Arabia leave unless they are on essential business and advised anyone planning to travel to cancel their trips. The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office urged its citizens to avoid travel to Jeddah and Dammam, and to all airports except for Medina International Airport, unless for essential reasons.
These warnings follow five attacks on Saudi airports in less than a week. One person was killed and 11 others injured on Sunday when a projectile struck King Khalid International Airport, according to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). A previous Houthi strike on the same airport on Saturday resulted in 13 fatalities and over 300 injuries, marking the deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia in more than a decade. The Houthis claimed responsibility for all four strikes on Saudi airports prior to Sunday’s attack, which remains unclaimed.
King Khalid International Airport and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam are currently closed due to the attacks, causing significant disruptions to aviation across the Middle East. Flights to and from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah have also been affected, with more than 150 flights canceled and 374 delayed on Sunday, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.
Brendan Sobie, an independent analyst and consultant in Singapore, stated that it is too early to predict the ramifications of the attacks for aviation in the region and beyond. He noted that the impact of this crisis will depend on the duration of the airport closures and the extent of restrictions once they reopen.