Ballistic missile strikes on Riyadh King Khalid International and Abha airports on 6 and 7 October killed three people and injured more than 30, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has confirmed.

GACA disclosed the casualty figures in an 8 October post on social media platform X. The Abha attack resulted in two fatalities and 28 injuries. The strike on Riyadh airport killed one person and injured eight.

Yemen-based, Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for both attacks. The group's military spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, wrote on X: "Our armed forces have succeeded in targeting King Khalid airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile, which struck its target with precision and caused the disruption of airport operations."

The Houthis have also repeated a warning, issued "for the last time to all global airlines," to avoid Saudi Arabian airspace because of the risk of further attacks.

What do the attacks mean for Riyadh operations?

Flights to and from Riyadh remain disrupted. Flightradar24 data for 8 October shows a wave of delays and cancellations at the capital's airport.

Carriers that cancelled Riyadh flights that day include:

• Saudia
• Flyadeal
• Flynas
• Qatar Airways
• Riyadh Air
• Gulf Air
• Air India
• Egyptair

The disruption compounds an already reduced international footprint at Saudi airports. Many airlines from outside the Middle East had already suspended flights to the kingdom following the USA and Israel's attacks on Iran in late February.

How have regulators responded?

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has not advised complete avoidance of Saudi airspace. But the agency notes that the Houthis have "significantly increased the frequency and geographic scope of attacks" on the country.

Recent strikes, EASA states, have "demonstrated the ability and intent of the Houthis to strike targets deeper inside Saudi territory, including in the Riyadh, Tabuk and Yanbu areas". That assessment extends the assessed threat well beyond airports near the Yemeni border, with implications for carriers routing through Saudi airspace as well as those serving it.

GACA says it is "working in co-operation with the relevant authorities to assess the damage, verify the safety of the facilities and take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of passengers, and maintain the security and safety of operations within the Kingdom's civil aviation system".

Will suspended services return?

KLM said last month that it planned to reinstate flights to Riyadh and Dammam at the start of the winter season. The Dutch carrier says it still intends to operate: "For the time being, we plan to resume our services to Riyadh as of October 25."

However, KLM adds: "We will continue to closely monitor the situation in the Middle East and take action if necessary."

That conditional language reflects the core question now facing every carrier with Saudi exposure: whether damage assessments, security measures and insurance calculus allow sustained operations in the face of demonstrated missile reach into the Riyadh area. Much depends on whether the Houthis act on their warning of further strikes.