Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Friday temporarily suspended its flights to Riyadh, citing the “situation in the Middle East”, a spokesperson said. The move follows repeated Houthi drone and ballistic missile attacks on Riyadh and other Saudi airports as fighting between Saudi and Houthi forces escalates.
PIA asked passengers to contact its call centre to confirm flight status before leaving for the airport. According to Flightradar24, 104 flights to and from Riyadh airport were cancelled and 154 delayed on Friday. A total of 335 flights were cancelled on Thursday.
Several other carriers had already halted Riyadh services. Lufthansa Group said its airlines would suspend flights to the Saudi capital until October 16, citing “current developments in the Middle East”. IndiGo cancelled all Riyadh flights until October 9, while Air India and Akasa Air cancelled theirs until October 10.
On Thursday, Houthi forces intensified their campaign against Saudi Arabia, firing missiles in an attempt to shut down the kingdom’s airspace and target its oil facilities. The strikes disrupted flights and damaged a kindergarten and a medical complex.
A video verified by Reuters showed thick black smoke and flames rising from Riyadh airport. A witness and three people briefed on the matter said a stationary commercial plane had caught fire, which was later extinguished.
PIA had suspended flights to several Gulf countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait, on March 1, soon after the US-Iran war began. At that time, the airline said its Saudi Arabia flights would continue.
