A loud blast at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, triggered evacuations and widespread flight disruptions on Saturday, October 10, leaving travelers facing uncertainty as emergency crews rushed to respond.
More than a dozen ambulances were reportedly seen heading to the airport, while passengers were evacuated from parts of the facility. Witnesses and people briefed on the incident reported that several people were injured, although the full extent of the injuries was not immediately clear.
The blast occurred amid escalating missile strikes on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group. Riyadh’s airport had already been attacked twice earlier that week, with previous strikes reportedly killing four people, injuring others and damaging an aircraft.
The latest incident caused significant disruption to air travel. Flight-tracking data showed flights to Riyadh being diverted or canceled, while airlines including Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways suspended multiple services between their hubs and the Saudi capital. Some cancellations extended into Monday.
Airport officials urged passengers to contact their airlines directly and confirm their flight status before traveling to the terminal. The disruption also came shortly before Riyadh was scheduled to host major energy and investment conferences, whose organizers said the events would proceed as planned.
The Saudi government’s media office and civil aviation authority had not immediately responded to requests for comment when the initial reports were published. The precise cause of Saturday’s blast and responsibility for the incident were not fully established in the initial eyewitness accounts.
Authorities continued assessing the situation as travelers waited for updates on airport operations and their flights.