Governments raise Saudi Arabia travel alerts following deadly Riyadh airport attack

Governments and international authorities have heightened travel warnings for Saudi Arabia following a deadly attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 10. Cond)8ast Traveller Middle East and FTN news reported that the airport suspended operations after an attack killed 12 people and injured more than 300. The Traveler reported that Saudi Arabia's overall travel advisory was raised to Level 3 on October 10. [1][5][7][14]

South Korea raised its travel alert for Saudi Arabia to Level 3 and urged its citizens to leave the country. The Korea Times reported that the decision came amid Houthi clashes, while The Korea Herald and Seoul Economic Daily confirmed that Seoul issued the updated alert and advised citizens to depart. [8][9][10]

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office updated its guidance to advise against all but essential travel to the cities of Jeddah, Dammam, Taif, and the provinces of Aseer, Riyadh, Najran, and Jizan. UK Foreign Office Travel also advised against all travel within 10 kilometres of the border with Yemen, and against all but essential travel to all Saudi airports except Medina International Airport. [2]

Flight schedules face widespread disruptions across the region following the incident. The Daily Star reported that seven flights between Dhaka and Riyadh were cancelled. Gulf News reported that Etihad Airways released a new travel update for passengers heading to Saudi Arabia. [3][4]

The recent escalation follows earlier security incidents in the region. As FTMQ Travel reported earlier, the United States State Department previously issued a security warning to American citizens after Houthi air attacks on two Saudi Arabian airports killed three people and injured 36 others. UK Foreign Office Travel noted that travelling against official advice may invalidate standard travel insurance policies. [2][13]