Key Points
- Cirium data showed 322 of 941 scheduled flights from Saudi Arabia, or 34%, were canceled or did not fly on Monday, down from more than half on Sunday. Riyadh led cancellations at 66%.
- Saudia, Flynas, Riyadh Air, and Flyadeal resumed flying at Riyadh’s reopened King Khalid International, while flydubai, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways extended suspensions through October 24.
- Saudi Arabia postponed the Future Investment Initiative to next year, the EU-GCC summit was postponed without a new date, and the Six Kings Slam tennis event moved to December, with hotel cancellations and lost MICE spending following.
Summary
A third of scheduled flights from Saudi Arabia were canceled or did not fly on Monday as Houthi attacks continued, according to Cirium, an improvement from Sunday when more than half of flights were canceled. Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport reopened on Sunday after a week-long shutdown, but Riyadh still recorded the most cancellations at 66%, followed by Abha at 48%, Dammam at 31%, and Jeddah at 15%. Saudi carriers Saudia, Flynas, Riyadh Air, and Flyadeal resumed service at the airport, while flydubai, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways extended cancellations to Riyadh, Dammam, and Abha through October 24, and Qatar Airways cut Jeddah from seven daily flights to four. The U.S. Embassy issued a security alert warning of missile and drone attacks and airport closures. The disruption has reached the kingdom’s events calendar: the Future Investment Initiative has been postponed to next year, the EU-Gulf Cooperation Council summit scheduled for October 24 in Riyadh has been postponed with no new date, and the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament has moved to December. Andrew Charlton of Aviation Advocacy told Skift that if non-Saudi airlines stay away, Saudi and Gulf carriers will expand to fill the space, but the question is whether demand holds as attacks continue.
