Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport resumed flights on Sunday 25 October 2026 after a two-week closure caused by strikes from Yemen's Houthi fighters, even as explosions were heard in the Saudi capital on the morning of reopening. The airport said Terminal 1 would handle domestic flights and Terminal 2 would serve international flights operated by national carriers, and flight-tracking data showed a plane departing early on Sunday for the Saudi city of Jeddah.

Explosions and interceptions on reopening day

An AFP journalist in Riyadh reported hearing three explosions in the early hours of Sunday, and residents received emergency alerts warning of a hostile aerial threat. The Saudi-led coalition said its air defences intercepted a ballistic missile launched towards Riyadh, along with two drones in the capital area, and later reported a cruise missile intercepted on its way to the southern city of Khamis Mushait. DailyByte has not independently verified each interception claim, and the figures should be read as the coalition's account. The airport's own notice advised passengers to check bookings and schedules with airlines before travelling.

Houthi warning and the wider conflict

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree warned airlines, airport staff and travellers against using the airport, describing it as unsafe and a military target and saying the Saudi regime would bear the consequences of any operations there. The warning follows weeks of Houthi attacks on Saudi territory after a years-long truce between the Houthis and Yemen's Riyadh-backed government broke down in the summer. One attack earlier this month killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, making it the deadliest assault in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade. The fighting has shifted the focus of the wider US-Iran war and deepened the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries.