Houthi Strikes: Airline Extends Saudi Flights Suspension

UAE national airline Etihad has extended until November 5 its suspension of flights to Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia, targeted by strikes from Yemen’s Houthis.

Etihad had suspended its service to Riyadh on October 12, two days after a deadly attack on a passenger terminal killed 13 people.

In a statement on Thursday, Etihad specified that flights to and from Riyadh and Dammam would remain suspended due to “operational disruptions”.

On Wednesday evening, two people were killed and eight others wounded in an attack on Dammam airport.

The airport, however, reopened the following day, while the capital’s airport remains closed.

Etihad added that it would operate only daytime flights to the western city of Jeddah, with night flights cancelled until November 5.

In recent weeks, Houthi attacks on Saudi civilian infrastructure including oil facilities and airports have reached a scale unprecedented since the start of the conflict in Yemen in 2014.