Bernd von Jutrczenka/picture alliance via Getty Images
Travel to Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East is looking increasingly unpredictable this fall after a series of Houthi attacks on airports, including in the capital, Riyadh.
The latest attacks killed 13 people and wounded hundreds last Saturday. Another strike the following day killed one person and injured about a dozen more.
Flights to and from Riyadh have been suspended all week, and while the airport is set to reopen on Sunday, this has yet to be confirmed.
The Houthis, an Iran-backed Yemeni militant group, control territory around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping route linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
They have been attacking Saudi infrastructure amid an escalating regional conflict. Saudi Arabia has supported Yemen's internationally recognized government in the country's civil war, which began in 2014.
Many airplanes continue to fly over eastern Saudi Arabia, including on routes to hubs in Qatar and Dubai and onward to East Asia.
The US State Department told Americans to reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia because of the risk of missile and drone attacks, armed conflict, and terrorism. It also warned of "potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions."
The UK's Foreign Office similarly says there is a heightened threat to airports and other infrastructure across Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh, Jeddah, and Abha.
On Monday, Delta Air Lines postponed the launch of its new Atlanta-to-Riyadh route, which had been due to begin on October 23, until March 2027.
"Saudi Arabia remains an important market for Delta, and we are committed to serving the Kingdom for the long term," the airline said.
It came after the Federal Aviation Administration warned US airlines on Sunday that the threats could pose risks during overflights, takeoffs, and landings in Saudi Arabia.
Osprey Flight Solutions, an aviation-risk company, said that unannounced missile launches through civilian airspace can pose a "latent hazard to flight operations at all altitudes," including from a malfunctioning missile, debris, and sudden route diversions.
It also said further attacks on Saudi aviation and energy infrastructure are likely in the short term.
First, check your airline's app or website before going to the airport. The flight may have been canceled or automatically rebooked.
Delta has issued a waiver for customers traveling to, from, or through Riyadh between October 23 and March 26. Eligible passengers can change their flight without paying a change fee, or cancel for a refund or credit. The rebooked trip must begin by May 31, 2027.
Other airlines may offer their own waivers, but the terms can differ.
It would be sensible to keep anything you would need for an unexpected overnight stay in your carry-on, including medication, a phone charger and power bank, toiletries, and a change of clothes.
You should also avoid tight self-booked connections.
The Trump administration is weighing looser sanctions on shadow fleet tankers that have hauled oil from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, a US official said on 14 October, Reuters reported. An industry research group expects the change to do little for freight rates.
With Reuters calling high fuel prices a risk for Trump before the 3 November midterms, Washington has already eased sanctions on Russian oil and diesel this year and is now looking at the ships blacklisted for hauling sanctioned cargoes. In March, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said a waiver on Russian oil at sea would bring Moscow no significant financial benefit, yet Russia’s seaborne oil income jumped by $890 million in the week to 15 March, Bloomberg data showed.
The talks center on letting “legal oil” sail on previously sanctioned vessels, the official said. Only crude or fuel free of US sanctions would qualify, not Russian or Iranian oil. Washington wants more crude and refined products moving out of the Gulf, the official added. Companies would need US Treasury approval to use the ships.
Research group Energy Aspects said US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, in a video to the World Petroleum Congress in Riyadh, tied the easing to record freight rates. Those rates hit records after the Iran and Ukraine wars drove up inflation and left US crude too costly for Asian refiners, Reuters said. Energy Aspects itself expects the easing to do little for freight rates, since most tankers sanctioned over Russian or Venezuelan links have kept trading for the past three months.
The Energy Department said any relief would do nothing to help Russia ship its oil or refined products. Treasury referred questions to the Energy Department. Yet Reuters noted that both departments could face pressure to let these vessels carry Russian diesel, given Trump’s push to get it onto world markets fast.
Britain is pushing the other way. UK finance minister John Healey urged counterparts at International Monetary Fund meetings in Bangkok on 15 October to keep tough sanctions on Russia, “especially a tighter ban on shipping services” that keep Putin’s shadow fleet operating.
On 9 October, the US Treasury issued a license clearing Russian-origin diesel trade until 7 April 2027. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters it was a weak decision unworthy of Ukraine’s partners. Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Chuck Schumer, and Elizabeth Warren called it a “total betrayal of Ukraine.” Republican Senator Thom Tillis said there is “a legitimate case for saying the president’s not following the law.”
Trump then pressed Kyiv to spare Russian refineries and declared an “energy ceasefire” on 11 October. A White House official told Axios it covers only oil refineries. Neither side confirmed a similar announcement Trump made in mid-September, AAP reported.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on 13 October that contacts on the ceasefire were continuing and referred further questions to Trump, Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported. He claimed the diesel deal was “a very mutually beneficial item of Russian-American cooperation” that serves the interests of Russia, the US, and world energy markets, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported.
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