PIA Suspends Riyadh Flights Following Deadly Attack on Saudi Airport

PothikTV News Desk: 11 October 2026, 7:34 am

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) operations to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, have been completely suspended following a deadly attack on the city’s international airport, according to the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA).

Flight disruptions extended to other carriers as well. A Fly Jinnah flight operating on the Lahore–Karachi–Riyadh route was cancelled, while Flynas cancelled its Karachi–Madinah and Karachi–Riyadh flights citing technical reasons. However, scheduled flights to Madinah and Jeddah operated by various other airlines from Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, and Islamabad continue to operate as planned. The PAA announced that special facilitation counters have been set up at major airports across Pakistan to assist impacted passengers.

The suspension follows a devastating attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Saturday, which Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) reported killed at least 12 people and injured more than 300 others. Officials stated it marks the deadliest attack in the kingdom in more than a decade.

According to the Saudi civil aviation authority, the deceased include four Saudi nationals, two individuals from Bangladesh, and one citizen each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and Egypt. Authorities confirmed that 309 people were wounded in the unannounced attack, with local hospitals flooded by casualty arrivals via ambulances and helicopters, leaving several in critical condition.

Saturday’s strike was the third attack on the airport within a single week. Two earlier strikes killed four people and severely damaged a Saudi commercial aircraft parked on the tarmac, highlighting vulnerabilities in regional defense capabilities.

Although the Houthis have not explicitly claimed responsibility for the latest strike, the Saudi-led military coalition has pledged to respond. The strikes follow an escalating conflict that intensified after a 2022 ceasefire between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis unravelled earlier this summer, leading to a Houthi advance that captured the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait from Saudi-backed forces.

International reaction was swift. U.S. President Donald Trump indicated that Washington is evaluating whether to join Saudi retaliatory strikes against the Houthis, describing it as a spillover from ongoing regional hostilities. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the airport attacks for showing blatant disregard for civilian life, while United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated that attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international law and must stop immediately.