Airlines suspend, cut Riyadh flights amid security concerns

Mumbai | New Delhi: Airlines across Asia and Europe are cancelling or suspending flights to Riyadh as attacks on Saudi Arabia's airports disrupt operations and raise concerns over the safety of civilian air travel, with Air India Express, IndiGo, Akasa Air, Philippine Airlines, KLM, Air France and Cathay Pacific among carriers cutting services or extending existing suspensions.

Air India Express has cancelled flights to and from Riyadh until October 10, while IndiGo has cancelled its Delhi-Riyadh service on Thursday and Friday, and Mumbai-Riyadh and Hyderabad-Riyadh flights on Friday. Akasa Air has cancelled its Kochi-Riyadh and Riyadh-Kochi flights on Thursday, citing the evolving security situation in Riyadh. Philippine Airlines has also cancelled its Manila-Riyadh service on October 8 and the return flight on October 10, citing the "developing situation in the region".

"In view of the evolving situation in the region, we have cancelled flights to and from Riyadh until 10 October. Affected guests are being offered complimentary rescheduling or a full refund on cancellation. We continue to monitor the situation closely," an Air India Express spokesperson said.


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Akasa Air said it was monitoring and assessing the situation "on a real-time basis" and that passengers affected by the cancellations could opt for a full refund or reschedule their travel at no additional cost.

Riyadh is a major international hub and an important link for Indian carriers, serving a large Indian expatriate population as well as business and religious traffic.

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India's Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday condemned the attacks on Abha and King Khalid airports, saying targeting civilian infrastructure was "completely unacceptable" and expressing solidarity with Saudi Arabia.