Middle East Skies in Chaos: Houthi Attacks Trigger 1,500+ Flight Disruptions at 21 Airports

On 18 October 2026, Yemen's Houthi movement launched a wave of missile and drone attacks that forced temporary closures at seven major Saudi Arabian airports, including King Khaled International in Riyadh (225 cancellations) and King Abdulaziz in Jeddah (93 cancellations, 124 delays). The disruptions cascaded rapidly across the region: across 21 airports in Saudi Arabia, the UAE (Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi), Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Egypt and Turkey, a total of 1,547 delays and 487 cancellations were recorded by 19 October. Istanbul's airport alone saw 362 delays, while Dubai logged 246 delays and 28 cancellations. Airlines including Air India, Etihad Airways, flydubai and Qatar Airways extended flight bans through late October and into November. Saudia bore the heaviest burden, with 153 cancellations representing a 28% cancellation rate. Turkish Airlines accumulated 334 delays. The disruptions were compounded by heavy rainfall warnings in Saudi Arabia's Makkah region. With aircraft rotations and crew schedules thrown out of sync, knock-on effects spread to Asian hubs as far as Incheon and Hong Kong.