Riyadh Airport Attack Kills 12, Disrupts Flights as Aviation Faces Pressure

Key Facts

A missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday killed 12 people, according to a preliminary toll from civil aviation authorities cited by the Associated Press. More than 300 people were injured in the same attack, which was followed by disruption to flights at the airport. The airport remained closed through Sunday, according to the agency's coverage, with operations still suspended since the attack. Flights were diverted to other destinations, according to Flightradar data cited by the Associated Press in its coverage of the incident. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks on the airport, while some airlines extended their measures to suspending flights serving Saudi airports.

The missile struck a complex inside King Khalid International Airport, according to a regional official who spoke to the Associated Press about the location of the strike. The complex houses terminals 3 and 4, which serve domestic flights, according to the official, whose details of the strike were reported by the agency. The Saudi-led coalition described the attack as a "full-fledged war crime" in its condemnation of the airport strike. The coalition pledged a firm response, according to statements reported by the Associated Press after the attack. The latest disruption comes as Middle Eastern airlines were already facing weak demand and operational disruption, the two factors identified by the International Air Transport Association in its previous outlook for the region's performance.

The International Air Transport Association had cut its forecast for global airline net profits in 2026 to $23.0 billion on June 7. The association compared that estimate with a previous forecast of $41 billion for the same year, in a revision that preceded the airport attack in October. It attributed the decline in projected profitability to disruption from the Middle East war and higher fuel prices borne by airlines. For Middle Eastern airlines, the association forecast a combined net loss of $4.3 billion in 2026. It said regional carriers' performance was affected by "weak demand and operational disruption," alongside the broader pressures addressed in its review of the global industry.

In its estimates published in June, the association put the average jet fuel price in 2026 at $152 a barrel. That represents an increase of about 70% from the 2025 level, according to the association's fuel bulletin. On returns from passenger traffic, the association forecast net profit per departing passenger would fall to $4.5 in 2026. The comparable net profit per departing passenger was $9.1 in 2025, according to the association's economic report. These estimates form part of the profitability and fuel forecasts the association issued before the attack on Riyadh airport and its closure in October.

Delta's results announced on October 9, before Saturday's attack, offered an example of the size of the fuel bill, with the company projecting annual adjusted earnings per share of between $5.10 and $5.60. The company said its full-year outlook absorbed a $6 billion increase in fuel costs. Its adjusted fuel expense reached $4.1 billion in the September quarter, up 62% from the same period a year earlier. In the United States, the airline fares index rose 23.4% year-on-year in August, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The same index recorded a seasonally adjusted monthly increase of 2.7% in August, among figures published in September, before the airport attack.

According to the announced schedule at the time the news was published on October 11, the U.S. consumer price index for September was scheduled for release on October 14, 2026. The Bureau of Labor Statistics set its publication time at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. On flights, Delta had announced a plan in August to launch nonstop service linking Atlanta and Riyadh. The company set October 23, 2026, as the route's launch date, according to its announcement before the attack on King Khalid International Airport. The International Air Transport Association, meanwhile, set December 2026 for the next update to its jet fuel bulletin.