Riyadh, October 10, 2026 — Passengers were evacuated from King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital on Saturday after a powerful explosion, and flight operations were again seriously disrupted. International news outlets reported that the incident occurred amid a recent rise in missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia.
Reuters confirmed reports of an explosion at the airport, citing an eyewitness and people familiar with the situation. According to the report, emergency vehicles headed to the scene during the evacuation, and at one stage flights bound for Riyadh were cancelled or diverted to other airports.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Terminal 3 at King Khalid International Airport was struck by a missile, prompting evacuations and reports of injuries. Saudi authorities did not immediately issue definitive casualty or damage figures for this new incident.
According to the Associated Press, more than 225 flights were cancelled over the preceding 24 hours because of security concerns and disruption to aviation. That figure covers the overall situation during the period and should not be described as the number of flights cancelled solely because of Saturday's latest blast.
Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and other carriers suspended or cancelled multiple flights to Riyadh. Some restrictions were reportedly expected to continue until Monday. Airport management asked passengers to confirm the latest status of their flights with their airlines before travelling.
Saudi authorities said three people had been killed and several injured in attacks at the same airport on Thursday, when a Saudia aircraft was also damaged. Those losses concern the earlier attacks, not confirmed deaths in Saturday's new explosion.
Yemen's Houthi group had claimed responsibility for earlier attacks and issued warnings concerning Saudi airspace. However, no separate verified statement from the group was immediately available regarding this particular Saturday incident. Reuters said the Saudi government's media office and civil aviation authority did not immediately comment.
The renewed tension is disrupting Saudi aviation, business activity and international travellers' plans. Riyadh is also preparing for major energy and investment meetings this month, whose organisers said the events would proceed as scheduled.