Flights to Riyadh have become some of the most watched aircraft on the planet. On 3 November, Flightradar24 said on X that US Air Force tankers led its most tracked list. In the same post, it noted that users were also following other aircraft in the region, “especially those operating to/from Riyadh”. That interest did not appear from nowhere. For a month, King Khalid International Airport has sat at the centre of a conflict. That conflict has turned routine departures into a live measure of regional security.
The Attacks That Closed King Khalid
The story began in early October. Yemen’s Houthis launched a string of missile and drone attacks on King Khalid International, and on 10 October one strike killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. It was the deadliest attack in the kingdom in more than a decade, and authorities halted operations at the airport that same day.
The Saudi led coalition later said the Houthis carried out 20 attacks on the airport during October, killing 17 people and wounding 333. In addition, the strikes damaged six commercial aircraft with a combined insured value of around $375 million, according to Aerospace Global News.
As a result, the schedule collapsed. Aviation analytics firm Cirium found that airlines cancelled 4,071 of 4,736 scheduled flights at Riyadh between 8 and 25 October. That equates to a disruption rate of almost 86%.
Riyadh Reopens, But Only by Permission
Riyadh reopened to authorised traffic on 18 October under tight rules. NOTAM A3650/26 requires operators to obtain prior permission from Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation. Meanwhile, NOTAM A3651/26 stops airlines from planning to use the airport as a diversion. Around the same time, Flightradar24 still ranked King Khalid as the world’s most disrupted airport, with a disruption index of 5.0.
At that stage, Flightradar24 confirmed that only private and cargo flights had used the airport since it reopened. Passenger operations then resumed at two terminals on 25 October. Even so, tracking data showed little traffic on that first day, and the Houthis warned that the airport would “never be safe”.
Why Every Riyadh Departure Tells a Story
This is where the tracking interest comes from. When a major hub returns from a closure, each departure becomes evidence of whether the recovery is real. Travellers, journalists, enthusiasts and security analysts are therefore all watching the same map.
So far, that map shows a fragile picture. According to AGBI, no European carrier currently serves Riyadh. Flightradar24 data also showed that almost a third of flights suffered delays or cancellations on 9 November.
Regional airlines remain cautious too. Etihad has cancelled all passenger and cargo flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh until 19 November. Meanwhile, flydubai has suspended its services there until 16 November. Further afield, KLM, Lufthansa and Philippine Airlines have pushed their returns into the second half of November. Similarly, IndiGo has suspended Riyadh flights until 30 November.
That leaves Saudi carriers such as Saudia and flynas to shoulder much of the remaining traffic. Their domestic network matters as well. OAG data reported by Quartz shows airlines scheduled around 617,000 seats between Jeddah and Riyadh in November. That makes it the tenth busiest domestic route in the world. Each of those departures now doubles as a public signal of confidence.
Military Traffic Adds Another Layer
The tankers at the top of the list add further intrigue. Flightradar24 did not explain their mission, and public tracking only shows aircraft that broadcast their position. However, the timing stands out. Washington has ordered nonessential embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, and the UK has pledged fighter jets to help defend the kingdom.
Conflict has always driven flight tracking. When Nancy Pelosi flew to Taiwan in 2022, more than 708,000 people followed SPAR19 by the time it landed. Flightradar24 also lists airspace near conflict zones among its biggest tracking hotspots. The Saudi capital simply fits a familiar pattern.
What Comes Next for Riyadh
For now, the recovery will play out in public, one flight at a time. The EASA conflict zone bulletin for Saudi airspace remains in effect until 16 November unless reviewed earlier. Several airlines also plan to return in the weeks that follow. If those flights operate smoothly, interest should gradually fade. If the Houthis strike again, however, Flightradar24 will likely show the impact before any official statement does.
Readers can follow developing incidents on our Squawk 7700 hub and the latest airline updates through Live News.
Continue to follow The Aviation Hub for more analysis and insight.
Advertise with us Your brand, in front of an aviation audience Home page and in-article placements, sold directly, one advertiser per slot. From £250 a year. See the rates
