Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has temporarily suspended flights to Riyadh amid escalating regional tensions and reported drone and ballistic missile attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, as clashes involving Saudi and Yemen’s Houthi forces intensify.
The national flag carrier has advised passengers to contact its call centre to confirm the latest status of their flights before travelling to the airport.
According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, 104 flights scheduled to arrive at or depart from Riyadh airport were cancelled on Friday, while 154 were delayed. The website’s data showed that 335 flights had been cancelled on Thursday.
The Pakistan Airports Authority confirmed PIA’s suspension of services to Riyadh but clarified that other flights to Saudi Arabia were continuing as usual. It also dismissed social media speculation suggesting wider disruptions to Pakistan’s air services to the kingdom.
PIA’s decision follows similar measures by several international airlines, including Lufthansa Group and three Indian carriers, which suspended flights to Riyadh on Thursday.
A Lufthansa spokesperson told Reuters that the group’s airlines would suspend services to the Saudi capital until October 16, citing developments in the Middle East.
India’s largest airline, IndiGo, cancelled all flights to and from Riyadh until October 9, while Air India and Akasa Air suspended their services until October 10.
Yemen’s Houthi forces intensified their campaign against Saudi Arabia on Thursday, launching attacks targeting the kingdom’s airports and oil infrastructure. The reported strikes disrupted air traffic and damaged a kindergarten and a medical complex.
Video footage verified by Reuters showed a thick column of black smoke rising from Riyadh airport. A witness and three people familiar with the incident said a stationary commercial aircraft had caught fire, although the blaze was later extinguished.
Following loud explosions reported across Riyadh on Thursday morning, several multinational companies in the King Abdullah Financial District instructed employees to work remotely or evacuated their offices, according to people familiar with the situation.
Diplomats were also instructed to remain inside their embassies, while at least one international school moved children to a basement as a precaution.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had launched two ballistic missiles towards Riyadh airport, another towards an airport in Najran and a further missile towards an airbase in Khamis Mushait.
Saree also called on workers at Saudi oil facilities to evacuate, days after the group reportedly struck a major refinery south of the Saudi capital.
On Wednesday, three people were reported killed in attacks targeting two Saudi international airports, including the facility in Riyadh, after the Houthis claimed responsibility for strikes against both locations.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday condemned the recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to safeguarding the kingdom’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and security under the Makkah Defence Alliance.
The defence pact, signed on August 7 and also involving Turkiye, aims to strengthen collective deterrence. Under the arrangement, an attack against one signatory is intended to be treated as an attack against all members.
On Monday, Pakistan and Turkiye agreed to the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia.
Following the outbreak of the US-Iran war, PIA suspended flights to several Gulf countries on March 1, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.
At the time, the airline said it would continue operating flights to Saudi Arabia despite the wider regional security situation.
