A fact-box update issued by Reuters at 05:42 GMT on 20 October 2026 lists a growing roster of airlines suspending services to Saudi Arabia in the wake of this month’s Houthi-claimed drone strike on Riyadh King Khalid International Airport. Air India and its low-cost subsidiary Air India Express have pushed their flight moratorium to Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam out to at least 24 October, mirroring moves by Air France-KLM, Lufthansa Group and several Gulf carriers. The Indian flag-carrier had initially halted flights only until 20 October, but said “crew-safety assessments and insurance-cover constraints” forced a further extension. IndiGo and Akasa Air have also frozen operations to Riyadh, while maintaining limited Jeddah services via alternative routings. Travel-industry data from Cirium show seat capacity between India and Saudi Arabia is down 63 percent week-on-week. For Indian expatriates—the second-largest foreign community in the Kingdom—the cancellations coincide with school half-term travel and the peak Umrah season, stranding thousands of passengers. Air India has offered full refunds or one-time date changes without fees; however, re-accommodation on third-country routings via Muscat or Dubai is difficult because many Indian travellers lack multiple-entry Gulf visas. Companies with Saudi projects must prepare for extended remote-working arrangements or reroute staff through Bahrain and Kuwait, both of which still accept Indian arrivals with e-visas and maintain road access to the Eastern Province. Mobility teams should also track war-risk insurance surcharges, which several carriers have begun adding to fare quotes for Middle-East itineraries. Indian government sources say the civil-aviation ministry is monitoring the situation but will not authorise special repatriation charters unless the Saudi suspension drags past the 24 October review point. In the meantime, travellers are advised to keep contact details updated in the Indian embassy’s ‘Travel App’ for real-time alerts.
Source: Reuters Factbox
