RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - King Khalid International Airport will remain closed until 9 p.m. GMT on October 17 after deadly Houthi missile and drone attacks disrupted air travel across Saudi Arabia.
The closure was extended to allow authorities to complete safety and operational-readiness checks, according to a Notice to Airmen cited by Reuters.
A Saturday attack killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. Another attack on Sunday killed one person and injured nearly a dozen others.
Saudi Arabia has opened an investigation into how its air-defense systems failed to stop the barrage. Preliminary findings indicated that the Houthis first launched drones and then used cruise and ballistic missiles that traveled more than 1,000 kilometers to Riyadh.
The Houthis said Monday that they had again targeted the airport with a ballistic missile. Saudi Arabia separately reported intercepting and destroying a missile aimed at the capital.
Flight cancellations across Saudi airports reached 46.4%, according to aviation-data company Cirium. Lufthansa Group canceled Riyadh flights through October 16, while Air France-KLM suspended service through the end of October. Etihad Airways also extended cancellations.
Delta Air Lines postponed the planned launch of its Atlanta-Riyadh route from October 2026 until March 2027.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration advised American carriers to exercise caution in Saudi airspace, while the European Union Aviation Safety Agency widened its warning because of missile and drone attacks.