Was Riyadh Airport Attacked Today? Saudi Authorities Confirm October 10 Attack and Suspend Flights

Yes. Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority confirmed that King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was attacked on Saturday, October 10, 2026. It suspended airport operations while assessing injuries and damage, according to The Associated Press. Travelers should not assume their flight will operate as scheduled: check directly with the airline before setting out and follow any updated airport instructions.

What AP reports about the latest Riyadh airport attack

A regional official told AP that a missile struck a complex housing terminals 3 and 4, which serve domestic flights, and that many people were wounded. The official spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to brief the media. Saudi aviation authorities confirmed injuries but had not announced a final count or a full damage assessment in AP’s latest report.

The airport was evacuated, according to regional officials cited by AP. Saudi authorities subsequently confirmed that operations were suspended. An aviation notice cited by AP set the suspension through midnight, but that does not establish when flights will resume: the airport and airlines must provide updated operational information.

Responsibility for Saturday’s attack had not been established in AP’s report. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed attacks on the airport earlier in the week, but had not immediately issued a statement claiming the October 10 attack. Those earlier claims should not be treated as proof of who carried out the latest strike.

Are flights to and from Riyadh disrupted?

Yes. AP reported diversions and widespread cancellations following the suspension. Several airlines had already paused some Riyadh or other Saudi services for varying periods before Saturday’s attack, including Air India, flydubai, Lufthansa Group airlines and Pakistan International Airlines. A flight scheduled for a later date may have a different status from one due to depart today.

If you are booked to fly through Riyadh, check your flight number in your airline’s app or website and compare it with the airport’s departures and arrivals information. Look for a direct message from the airline about a cancellation, diversion, new departure time or rebooking. Confirm any onward connection as well: a flight arriving elsewhere does not mean its next leg will operate. If your itinerary changes, contact the airline or booking agent about available alternatives before traveling to the airport.

Passengers already at the airport should follow instructions from airport staff and local authorities. Travelers who have not left should check for a current airline instruction before heading there; an earlier boarding pass or flight-status screenshot is not confirmation that access or service has resumed. Foreign embassies, including the U.S. Embassy, have warned citizens to avoid the airport during the disruption, AP reported.

Why is the attack part of a wider escalation?

King Khalid International Airport has been targeted repeatedly this week. Saudi authorities said three Saudi citizens, including a pilot, were killed in attacks targeting the airport and a Saudia aircraft on Thursday, October 8. Saudia said its aircraft was damaged on the ground and had no passengers aboard. Those deaths and that aircraft damage relate to the earlier attacks, not to a confirmed toll from Saturday.

The airport attacks come as fighting intensifies in neighboring Yemen. Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, are trying to reverse Houthi gains along the Red Sea near the Bab el-Mandeb shipping route. The escalation is unfolding alongside the broader U.S.-Iran war and threats to regional shipping. President Donald Trump said Saturday that he was considering whether the United States would join Saudi strikes against the Houthis; he did not announce a decision in AP’s report.

For travelers, the immediate questions remain operational: when Saudi authorities permit airport activity to resume and when each airline confirms its own flights. Injury totals, damage and responsibility for the October 10 attack should be reported as established only when supported by further evidence or official findings.