Riyadh Air moves operations away from Saudi capital to Al Qassim Airport

Riyadh Air has moved operations away from King Khalid International Airport (RUH) in the Saudi capital to Al-Qassim International Airport (ELQ) as the airline looks to resume flights following attacks by Houthi rebels.

According to Riyadh Air, from October 25, 2026, flights to Cairo (CAI), Dhaka (DAC), Jeddah (JED), London-Heathrow (LHR), Lahore (LHE) and Islamabad (ISB) will depart from Al Qassim instead of Riyadh.

The carrier will provide a complimentary coach to passengers from Riyadh to ELQ, with the journey expected to take over three hours.

On October 25, 2026, King Khalid International Airport announced that it would reopen with terminal 1 designated for domestic flights and terminal 2 for international flights.

Riyadh AirHowever, it appears with the risk of Houthi attacks still active, Riyadh Air has prioritized restarting operations away from the Saudi capital.

Since an attack at the airport on October 10, 2026, which killed 12 people, flights from RUH have been suspended or faced government restrictions.

The United States has advised its citizens in Saudi Arabia to take “extreme caution” if they choose to use the country’s airports.

Al-Qassim International Airport is further from Yemen, but a Houthi ballistic missile could still physically reach the area. It is understood that Al-Qassim has not yet been hit by Houthi weapons.

On October 25, 2026, the Saudi government said 10 ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis toward the southern region were intercepted and destroyed.

An earlier announcement also said that a ballistic missile had been intercepted and destroyed that was targeting Riyadh.

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