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Riyadh’s Airport Stays Shut as the UK Widens Its Advice

Australia now says do not travel to Saudi Arabia, and Riyadh King Khalid International remained suspended on 17 October as the UK widened its advice beyond the Yemen border zone.

Alicia LovedayOctober 15, 20263 min read

Checked at the source3 sources, linked

Update, 20 October

Australia has raised its advice for Saudi Arabia to “do not travel” overall, its highest level. Smartraveller’s update, dated 19 October, tells Australians to postpone planned travel, including for religious purposes, and not to travel to any airport in Saudi Arabia. Those already there who choose to leave should consider private car, train or bus, including to the hubs in the UAE and Qatar, and be ready to shelter in place. Smartraveller notes that travel insurance may not cover travel against its advice.

Update, 19 October

Operations at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport were still suspended on 17 October, and the UK has widened its advice to cover the whole of Saudi Arabia.

Airports. In a security alert dated 17 October, the US Mission to Saudi Arabia said operations at King Khalid International “remain suspended.” It said King Abdulaziz International in Jeddah and King Fahd International in Dammam are operating, with some delays and cancellations, and that airports in Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Qatar and the UAE remain operational. Travellers should confirm status with each airport.

The NOTAM. The closure notice described below ran to 21:00 UTC on 17 October. We have not found a statement from the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) or the airport since then. GACA’s most recent statement we could find, on 12 October, extended the suspension pending safety checks and gave no end date. Check kkia.sa and the airline before travel.

18 October. A further US Mission alert for Saudi Arabia, dated 18 October, warns that flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruption are possible across the Middle East. US missions in Jordan, Oman, the UAE and Kuwait also posted security alerts dated 18 October.

What each government says now

Saudi Arabia

Government	Level	Updated
US (State Department)	Level 3: Reconsider travel; Do Not Travel to the Yemen border region	12 Oct 2026
UK (FCDO)	Against all travel within 10 km of the Yemen border; against all but essential travel to the rest of Saudi Arabia	17 Oct 2026
Canada	Avoid non-essential travel; avoid all travel to King Khalid International, the provinces of Asir, Jazan and Najran, and within 30 km of the Yemen border	18 Oct 2026, 13:56 ET
Australia (Smartraveller)	Do not travel overall; do not travel to any airport in Saudi Arabia	19 Oct 2026

Gulf hubs

UAE, Canada: exercise a high degree of caution; avoid non-essential travel to Al Minhad Air Base and its surroundings (last updated 14 Oct 2026, 15:29 ET).
UAE, Australia: reconsider your need to travel.
Qatar, Australia: exercise normal safety precautions.

The UK’s whole-country advice replaces the airport-by-airport advice described in our earlier text. The FCDO still tells British nationals to stay away from King Khalid International until it is secure, and says further attacks on airports, and disruption and cancellations, are “very likely.” We checked all levels above on 19 October; Smartraveller’s 19 October change is in the update at the top.

Insurance

Many travel policies exclude, or limit cover for, trips to places a traveller’s own government advises against. The FCDO warns that insurance “could be invalidated if you travel against advice.” With the UK advice now covering all of Saudi Arabia, UK clients should get their insurer’s position in writing before travelling, and anyone already booked should ask whether cancellation cover applies. Transits count: check every connection against the client’s own government’s advice.

Sources for this update:

Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport remains closed after the 10 October attacks. A notice to airmen (NOTAM A3604/26) keeps it shut until 21:00 UTC on Saturday 17 October, and the Saudi aviation authority has not given a reopening date.

The UK’s FCDO now advises against all but essential travel to all Saudi airports except Medina, including Jeddah and Dammam, and to the Riyadh, Aseer, Najran and Jizan provinces.

Delta has pushed its new Atlanta–Riyadh route to March 2027, citing “evolving developments in the region,” and has a travel waiver in place.

Sources

Alicia Loveday Managing Editor

Alicia Loveday is Managing Editor at Not An Atlas, writing from Calgary, Alberta, amid a little creative chaos: a laptop, an iced coffee and about a hundred ideas she hasn't had time to bring to life yet. She became a mom young and spent her twenties raising two kids, so she was 30 before she saw the ocean for the first time, in Aruba. Gliding through that clear Caribbean water on a Seabob felt like freedom, and she's been making up for lost time ever since. She always takes the window seat (she waited 30 years for the view), never travels without the feather pillow she's had since childhood (they're a package deal), and sizes up a new place with a local cocktail and some serious people-watching. She covers fashion, culture, creativity and the people who shape the places we visit. Friends say creative, fearless and unapologetic. Her mum says stubborn, and she'd be right. Next stop: Japan.

Sources are linked above. Spot an error? See our corrections policy.

Riyadh’s Airport Stays Shut as the UK Widens Its Advice

Update, 20 October

Update, 19 October

What each government says now

Insurance

Sources

Saudi Airports: What the Travel Advice Says Now

Oberoi's First Saudi Escarpment

Riyadh Air Opens a Jakarta Door

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