Land route opens for Saudi travelers after Riyadh airport attack kills 13

The Saudi Arabian consulate in Dubai and the Northern Emirates has deployed buses to transport citizens home by land following a wave of flight cancellations. The move follows security incidents at major Saudi airports that forced UAE-based carriers to suspend operations on Sunday and Monday, 12 October. Emirates cancelled all services from Dubai to Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, Jeddah, and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on 11 and 12 October. Additionally, flydubai announced the suspension of its Riyadh-bound flights until Wednesday, 14 October. The consulate initiated the land transport contingency as travellers remained stranded in the UAE without immediate return flight options. Airport attacks cause regional disruption The travel disruption stems from an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, 10 October. According to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), the incident resulted in 13 deaths and 309 injuries. Further attacks were reported at the Riyadh facility on Sunday, alongside a new incident at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam later that day. GACA officials confirmed that technical assessments are currently under way to evaluate damage and verify the safety of airport infrastructure before full operations can resume. The UAE airlines have not yet confirmed when regular schedules will be reinstated, citing the ongoing security evaluation by Saudi aviation authorities. Local support for…