Several countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, have warned their citizens against travelling to Saudi Arabia following a wave of Houthi attacks targeting the kingdom’s airports.
On Monday, Australia and New Zealand became the latest nations to issue travel advisories, joining earlier warnings released by the US, Canada, the UK, South Korea, and Japan, reports Al Jazeera.
Diplomatic travel advisories
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advised Australians to avoid King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and to “reconsider” travel to other Saudi airports.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade urged its citizens to avoid travelling to the Saudi capital’s main gateway, as well as the provinces of Najran, Jazan, and Asir, for any reason, whilst advising against “non-essential” travel to Saudi Arabia as a whole.
The US Embassy in Riyadh on Sunday advised American citizens to reconsider travel to the kingdom, citing the threat of attacks by Iran and the Iranian-backed Houthis. Meanwhile, Global Affairs Canada issued an advisory advising against non-essential travel to any part of Saudi Arabia.
South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended that its citizens in Saudi Arabia leave unless they are on essential business and advised anyone planning to visit the kingdom to cancel their trips.
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office urged citizens to avoid travel to Jeddah and Dammam, and to all airports apart from Medina International Airport, except for essential reasons.
Casualties and airport strikes
The international warnings come as Saudi Arabia reels from five attacks on its airports in less than a week.
On Sunday, one person was killed and 11 others were injured when a projectile struck King Khalid International Airport, according to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA).
A Houthi strike on the same airport on Saturday killed 13 people and injured more than 300 others, marking the deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia in more than a decade. While the Houthis claimed responsibility for all four strikes on Saudi airports prior to Sunday’s attack, the Sunday strike has yet to be claimed by any group.
Severe aviation disruptions
King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam remain closed following the strikes, causing significant disruption to aviation across the Middle East.
Flight operations at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah have also been disrupted, with more than 150 flights cancelled and 374 delayed on Sunday, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
Brendan Sobie, an independent analyst and consultant based in Singapore, noted that it is too early to predict the ramifications of the attacks for regional and global aviation.
He said the overall impact really depends on how long the crisis lasts, how long the Riyadh airport remains closed, and the extent of restrictions once it reopens.
