Flight Disruptions in Riyadh: Canceled Flights and Delays

Al-Taj News – King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh witnessed major disruptions to flight operations on Saturday, with lengthy delays and several cancellations recorded, according to FlightRadar24, a website specializing in tracking air traffic.

The website placed the airport under its highest level of disruption, meaning it was experiencing “major disruptions characterized by lengthy delays and the cancellation of several flights.”

Agence France-Presse quoted a resident of the Saudi capital and her husband as saying they saw black smoke rising near Riyadh airport.

The resident said: “We saw black smoke and flames in the direction of the airport.”

The agency reported that the sighting of the smoke came hours after explosions were heard in the city, the first since the beginning of the current escalation with the Houthis in Yemen.

Reuters also confirmed that a thick cloud of smoke appeared near King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, after explosions were heard and alerts were sent overnight warning of a potential danger in the vicinity of the capital, amid escalating attacks by the Houthi group.

Video clips and photographs taken by Reuters showed a huge column of black smoke rising in the area, while the airport road, the main terminal building, and other facilities appeared in the images.

It explained that Saudi Civil Defense had sent alerts to mobile phones overnight warning of a potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, before announcing Saturday morning that the danger had passed.