Airlines are cancelling flights to Saudi Arabia after deadly attacks on Riyadh airport by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis. Reuters reports that the kingdom had stopped issuing public warnings days before the strikes, and the government has not said why.
Airlines are cancelling flights to Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries after the deadly weekend attacks on Riyadh airport by the Houthis. The cancellations add to wider disruptions in the region since the US-Israeli war with Iran started.
The airport will be closed until October 17, according to a Notice to Airmen issued on Monday.
Carriers extend suspensions
Several airlines have cancelled or suspended Riyadh flights. Etihad Airways cancelled all flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, plus 10 flights to Dammam and Jeddah, until October 19. Gulf Air cancelled its Riyadh flights from October 12 to October 17.
Air India extended its suspension of Riyadh flights until October 15. Qatar Airways has temporarily suspended flights to and from Riyadh and Dammam.
No public alerts before the strikes
Saudi Arabia stopped issuing public warnings of imminent military attacks days before the strikes, which killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 300. The government has not said why there were no alerts before the four Riyadh attacks in the past week, Reuters reported.
The last alert before those attacks was issued on September 29 for the province of Najran. On Monday, the civil defence authority issued its first alerts since then, warning of potential threats in Riyadh and southern cities.
Two officials with direct knowledge told Reuters that an allied Western government asked Saudi authorities why the alerts had stopped. The response was that the alerts were too disruptive and many citizens had complained about being woken at night. The Saudi government media office and Saudi officials did not respond to requests for comment on the assertion.
Defending a large country
Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the government, said the kingdom would struggle to defend all of its assets with or without early warnings. According to Reuters: "There is just not enough coverage to defend everything at once".
Sources: Reuters via Investing.com (airline factbox), Reuters via Investing.com (warning system)
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