Lufthansa Group airlines halted Riyadh flights through October 16 and Air India cancelled its flights until October 10 after the Houthis claimed a missile strike on King Khalid airport.
Lufthansa Group airlines and Air India said on Thursday they would suspend flights to Riyadh after Yemen's Houthis renewed threats against airlines and claimed an attack on the Saudi capital's airport, Reuters reported.
A Lufthansa spokesperson told Reuters the group's airlines would stop Riyadh flights through October 16 because of current developments in the Middle East. Air India said it had cancelled all flights to the Saudi capital until October 10.
Reuters said smoke was seen rising from a stationary aircraft at Riyadh airport earlier Thursday, according to a witness and three people briefed on the matter. The Houthis said they had struck King Khalid International Airport with a ballistic missile.
The suspensions are a new operational step. Earlier reports had already described deadly attacks on Abha and King Khalid airports on October 6 and 7. This brief does not repeat those casualty counts.
Reuters did not say whether other carriers had matched the cancellations, or when either airline expects to resume a full schedule.
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- A Lufthansa spokesperson cited current developments in the Middle East for the suspension through October 16.
- Air India said its Riyadh flights were cancelled until October 10.