Follow-Up: Riyadh Skies Nearly Empty on Monday as Some 60% of Flights Are Cancelled After Missile Strikes
Almost no flights were operating normally at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on Monday, as the Saudi capital's aviation hub reeled from a weekend of missile strikes, Reuters reported. Analytics firm Cirium estimated about 60% of Monday's flights were cancelled, while FlightRadar24 data suggested more than three-quarters did not operate. Sunday's cancellation rate was 99.7%.
A Houthi missile strike on Saturday killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, and the airport was hit again on Sunday when a projectile struck Terminal 4. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has advised American carriers to assess residual risks when operating at the airport. Lufthansa has suspended Riyadh flights until October 16, and Air France-KLM until the end of the month. The disruption strikes at a centrepiece of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan to build a global aviation hub anchored by new carrier Riyadh Air. With Saudi Arabia having bombed Sanaa airport in retaliation and no ceasefire in sight, airlines and insurers are watching for any de-escalation this week.
(Source: Reuters)
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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