High Alert – US renews Saudi Arabia alert over airport attack risk

If you have a flight booked to or through Saudi Arabia any time soon, this is worth five minutes of your time. The US Mission to Saudi Arabia has just renewed a countrywide security alert, warning of possible airport attacks, sudden airspace closures and more flight disruption.

This isn’t a new crisis out of nowhere. As we reported when the US ordered non-emergency staff to leave Saudi Arabia, tensions in the region have been building for weeks, and Kuwait’s own residents have already felt it through cancelled flights and embassy warnings.

Why the US issued this alert

The advisory blames attacks by Iran-supported Houthi forces on civilian airports and key infrastructure inside Saudi Arabia. The US Mission says these attacks have already caused civilian deaths and injuries and badly disrupted travel. It warns the fighting could spread quickly beyond the areas already hit.

This fits the pattern we’ve followed since the start of the month, from the first Saudi airport attacks that killed three and injured 36 people, through to reports that the Riyadh airport attack toll rose to 12 dead and 309 hurt. Several of those killed were identified as airport and airline staff from different nationalities.

What’s happening at the three main airports

According to the US Mission’s update, here’s where things stand at Saudi Arabia’s busiest airports right now:

• Riyadh (King Khalid International Airport, RUH): partially reopened on 23 October for domestic flights and some international flights run by Saudi national carriers. Some flights normally flown from Riyadh are now using Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Qassim instead.
• Jeddah (King Abdulaziz International Airport, JED): open, but with some delays and cancelled flights.
• Dammam (King Fahd International Airport, DMM): open, also with delays and cancellations. This is the same airport we covered earlier this month when it came under attack with people killed and hurt.

The advice for anyone flying is simple: check your flight’s status directly with the airline and the airport before you leave home, not just the night before. This echoes what Riyadh airport itself has been telling passengers, as covered in our piece on the airport’s advice to check flights and our update on Kuwait Airways flights to Riyadh being cancelled.

New rules for US government staff

US government employees in Saudi Arabia now need special permission from the Chief of Mission before using any airport in the country. They also can’t travel within 20 miles of the Yemen border. Travel to Jizan, Asir and Najran provinces, plus Qatif, Yanbu and Taif, now needs special authorisation too.

These rules apply to US staff specifically, but they tell you a lot about how seriously Washington is treating the current situation. Ordinary travellers aren’t under the same restrictions, but the same caution clearly applies.

Roads and land borders are still working

Here’s some practical good news: all of Saudi Arabia’s land border crossings are open, including the King Fahd Causeway between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Major highways around Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran are also running normally.

The US Mission suggests travellers consider private cars, trains or buses instead of flying. It named Saudi Arabia Railways, SAT Transportation and SAPTCO as options, but told passengers to confirm schedules directly before relying on them.

Airports in neighbouring countries, including Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Qatar and the UAE, are reported to be working normally. That covers Bahrain International Airport, Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Muscat International Airport, and the airports in Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

Don’t film missile or drone sites

One point that’s easy to miss: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior has repeatedly warned people not to film, post or share anything about missile or drone interceptions, or the sites where they land. The US Mission says American citizens have already been detained for breaking this rule, including for photographing government buildings, airports and impact sites.

This applies to everyone in the country, not only Americans. If you’re in Saudi Arabia and you hear or see anything related to an interception, the safe move is to put your phone away. For more on the wider regional picture, we’ve followed this since the Riyadh missile alert where the coalition said the threat was destroyed.

What the US Mission is telling citizens to do

1. Follow local media and instructions from Saudi authorities.
2. Sign up for alerts through Saudi Civil Defence’s mobile broadcast system.
3. Stay away from demonstrations, large crowds and areas with heavy police presence.
4. Keep your phone charged and emergency numbers saved.
5. Contact your airline directly for flight changes or cancellations.
6. During any aerial attack, stay away from windows, glass doors and debris.
7. Be extra careful near places publicly linked to the United States.

Emergency consular help is still available through the US Embassy in Riyadh and the consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran. The mission is also encouraging Americans to register with its Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), a free service that sends security updates and helps embassies reach you in an emergency.

What this means if you live in Kuwait

Plenty of people in Kuwait, citizens and expats alike, travel to Saudi Arabia for work, Umrah, family visits or simply a short break. This advisory is a reminder to build in extra time and have a backup plan, especially if you’re flying through Riyadh. If your trip isn’t urgent, it may be worth waiting a little or checking the land route instead.

Kuwait’s own airport and embassy here have issued their own warnings recently too, as we covered in our report on the US Embassy’s security alert for Americans in Kuwait. It’s part of the same wider picture of flight risk across the Gulf that we’ve tracked in our international news coverage.

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