Air India, Akasa Air and IndiGo suspend Riyadh flights after airport blast reports

Riyadh airport blast triggers flight suspensions by Air India, Akasa Air and IndiGo

NEW DELHI: Air India, Akasa Air and IndiGo have temporarily suspended or curtailed flights to Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, following reports of explosions, including a loud blast at the city’s international airport, on Thursday.Akasa Air suspended flights to and from Riyadh through Saturday, while IndiGo cancelled its Riyadh services through Friday.Air India said a flight from Delhi to Riyadh returned to Delhi on Thursday and was subsequently cancelled “in the interest of safety”. The airline also suspended all flights to and from Riyadh until Saturday.Lufthansa Group, the German aviation company that owns Lufthansa Airlines and other European carriers, said its airlines would suspend flights to Riyadh through October 16 “due to current developments in the Middle East.”Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen has claimed responsibility for the latest attack on Riyadh’s airport, saying a ballistic missile had caused damage, but provided no evidence. Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on the claim. The group’s military spokesperson later said the Houthis had fired additional ballistic and cruise missiles at airports in Riyadh and the southwestern city of Najran, claiming the strikes had disrupted flights.

Riyadh’s airport had “closed again”, global flight-tracking service Flightradar24 said on X on Thursday afternoon. It reported that the last landing had taken place more than 80 minutes earlier and the last takeoff more than 90 minutes earlier.The developments came amid heightened safety concerns following a series of Houthi attacks on Saudi airports on October 6 and 7. Saudi authorities, as cited by the BBC, said a separate attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh had killed one person and injured eight others.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had targeted Saudi airports using ballistic missiles and drones.India on Thursday condemned the attacks on Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, calling the targeting of civilian infrastructure “completely unacceptable”.

“India condemns the attacks over the past few days targeting Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, which have resulted in civilian deaths and injuries,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.“We express our deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their loved ones. We wish speedy recovery for those injured. We express solidarity and stand with the people and government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” it added.