Houthi attacks expected to cancel about 60% of Riyadh airport flights Monday

By Khal · · 1 min read

Editorial illustration: Three passenger jets face a red barrier across a taxiway at a desert airport. A fourth jet occupies an open taxiway beyond, with terminal buildings, palms and distant hills in the background.
AI-generated editorial illustration · AI-generated editorial illustration · Published Oct 12, 2026, 7:46 a.m. (1 hour ago)

In brief

  • About 60% of Riyadh airport flights were expected to be canceled Monday, Reuters data showed.
  • Weekend Houthi attacks killed at least 12 people and injured more than 300, Saudi authorities said.
  • King Khalid International Airport operations remained unstable, according to Crypto Briefing.
  • LeoDex News couldn't independently verify the figures.

What the reports say

The 60% figure is an expected number, not a confirmed count. It comes from data reported by Reuters, which Crypto Briefing relayed alongside a toll from Saudi authorities: at least 12 people killed and more than 300 injured in the weekend attacks. The cancellations came on Monday.

Operations at King Khalid International Airport remained unstable, according to the report. Crypto Briefing identified the attackers as Yemen's Houthis and described the group as Iran-backed.

LeoDex News couldn't independently verify any of these figures.

The outlet went beyond the numbers. In its own analysis, Crypto Briefing said the cancellations pointed to a wider threat to Saudi Arabia's air connectivity and raised concerns about further disruptions. That's the publisher's view, not an official assessment.

It also flagged two agencies to watch for signs of an airspace policy change: the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and Saudi Air Navigation Services (SANS). Those are the bodies the outlet singled out, and it's their announcements it pointed readers toward.

How markets come into it

Crypto Briefing framed the story in market terms, too. It said continued Houthi attacks, or wider military action involving Saudi Arabia, could change market expectations of an airspace closure. Diplomatic or military responses could also affect how markets price the chance of longer flight suspensions or closures, the outlet said.

Those are Crypto Briefing's scenarios. They aren't forecasts from LeoDex News, and they aren't official guidance from Saudi aviation authorities.

What's reported so far comes down to three numbers: an expected 60% of Monday's scheduled flights canceled at Riyadh's main airport, at least 12 people dead and more than 300 injured, per Saudi authorities as relayed through Reuters and Crypto Briefing.

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