The number of aircraft at Saudi Arabia's Riyadh airport fell from 134 to 38 by Wednesday noon due to airstrikes by Yemeni forces. According to Ettelaat, citing the Wall Street Journal, Saudi airlines rapidly relocated dozens of aircraft from Riyadh to other airports following operations by Yemeni forces.
Based on FlightRadar data cited in the report, one aircraft became completely unusable at the airport and five others sustained damage; the total insured value of these aircraft is estimated at approximately $375 million. The Wall Street Journal reported that Yemeni operations are placing major pressure on Saudi aviation, intensifying strain at a time when the kingdom has invested tens of billions in airport expansion and fleet renewal. The newspaper also warned that the strikes could significantly elevate war-risk insurance costs. The disruption at Riyadh airport followed a statement last week by Yemen's government spokesman Omer al-Buhaiti asserting that Saudi airports are "targets of missile and drone operations."
The same day, according to Ettelaat citing Fars and Tasnim news agencies, a missile attack was carried out on Jeddah; Tasnim reported that Yemeni forces targeted Aramco petroleum distribution facilities north of Jeddah. Yemen's Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Sari also claimed that "an F-15 Typhoon jet launched from Taif base" was struck by a surface-to-air missile and downed over Saada province; Hamshahri and Donya-ye Eghtesad relayed this claim in identical language. In response to the strikes, a tennis tournament in Saudi Arabia was postponed. According to Ettelaat, these developments coincide with a period of mounting pressure on Saudi aviation following last week's government warning; airlines continue moving their fleets to airports deemed safer.
How the Persian press covered it
| Source (orientation) | Headline / framing |
|---|---|
| Ettelaat (moderate-traditionalist) | Cites WSJ data on aircraft numbers and insurance values to report the airport disruption |
| Hamshahri / Donya-ye Eghtesad (principlist / technocratic) | Directly and without question relays Yemen's claim that the jet was downed |
The Saudi government has not independently confirmed the claim that the jet was downed or that Aramco facilities in Jeddah were struck at the time these reports were published; claims rest solely on Yemen's statements and remain unconfirmed.
Context
The Saudi–Houthi conflict has entered a new phase in the past week. On October 13, Riyadh airport was targeted a third time; October 14 saw an attack on Aramco's Zahran facility followed by evacuations. Australia and New Zealand have advised their citizens to exercise maximum caution when using Saudi airports. The civil war in Yemen has been ongoing since 2015 between a Saudi-led coalition and Houthi forces; this recent strike wave is intensifying pressure on regional energy security and civilian aviation. The collapse of Riyadh airport traffic by more than two-thirds in a short span shows that airstrikes now affect not just military and energy targets but civil aviation infrastructure directly; this situation may prompt insurance firms to recalculate war-risk premiums for the region.
