Riyadh airport missile strike kills at least 12; Air India among airlines suspending Saudi flights

A missile strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on October 10 killed at least 12 people and wounded 309, Saudi officials said.

The Saudi-led coalition blamed the Houthis for the strike.

A further attack on October 11 caused a fire at the airport, and the Houthis claimed it.

Air India, flydubai, Lufthansa Group and Pakistan International Airlines suspended service to Saudi airports.

Saudi Arabia said it will firmly retaliate.

A missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, October 10, 2026 killed at least 12 people and wounded 309, according to Saudi officials.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation, or GACA, reported the casualty figures, and some of the wounded were in critical condition.

The dead included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, and one person each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan, according to GACA.

A missile struck a complex housing terminals 3 and 4, which handle domestic flights, according to an anonymous regional official cited by CBS News.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen blamed the Houthis for the Saturday strike.

The Houthis had not claimed Saturday’s strike, but had claimed earlier attacks on the airport, according to CBS News.

On Sunday evening, October 11, a further attack on the airport caused injuries and a fire, according to GACA and a coalition spokesperson.

A coalition spokesperson said that an unidentified projectile struck a passenger terminal, and that Saudi air defences intercepted a missile.

The Houthis claimed the Sunday attack, according to Al Jazeera.

Airport operations were suspended and the closure was later extended, with flights cancelled or diverted.

FlightAware reported at least 291 Riyadh flights cancelled over 24 hours, according to CBS News.

Air India, flydubai, Lufthansa Group and Pakistan International Airlines suspended service to Saudi airports, according to CBS News.

The United States, Britain, Germany, Australia and Canada warned their citizens to avoid the airport.

Riyadh airport (file image), Wikimedia Commons, public domain