The Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning to U.S. airlines on Monday instructing them to exercise caution when flying in or around Saudi Arabia, after strikes near Riyadh forced the closure of King Khalid International Airport.
The airport, Saudi Arabia's second-busiest hub and a key gateway for international travel to the kingdom, remained shut as of Monday. The strikes that triggered the closure began last week and have yet to be resolved, according to the FAA notice.
Multiple airlines have suspended flights to King Khalid International Airport, with some carriers canceling service through the end of the week. The suspensions affect both passenger and cargo operations at a facility that handled more than 26 million passengers in 2023, according to airport data.
The FAA notice does not ban U.S. carriers from Saudi airspace but advises flight crews to evaluate conditions before routing through the region. U.S. airlines operate a limited number of direct routes to Saudi Arabia, though the kingdom's airspace is used by carriers flying between North America, the Middle East, and South Asia.
King Khalid International Airport sits roughly 35 kilometers north of central Riyadh and serves as a hub for Saudia, the kingdom's flag carrier. Its closure reroutes traffic to King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Medina, both of which are hundreds of kilometers from the capital.
The warning comes as global airlines weigh the risks of operating through Middle Eastern airspace, which carries a significant share of long-haul traffic between Europe, Asia, and North America. During previous regional conflicts, carriers have diverted flights around affected airspace, adding hours of flight time and thousands of dollars in fuel costs per trip.
Neither the FAA nor Saudi aviation authorities have issued a timeline for when King Khalid International Airport will reopen. Airlines are expected to reassess their schedules once the closure lifts, though carriers that suspended service for the remainder of the week have already begun rebooking passengers onto alternative routes.
The U.S. State Department has not issued a new travel advisory for Saudi Arabia in connection with the closure. American citizens traveling to or from the kingdom are advised to check with their airlines for updated flight status.
