On Monday, October 12, Saudi Arabia was still dealing with the consequences of the Houthi attacks on Riyadh airport. Reuters reported that airlines cancelled flights to the country and that the skies over the capital were largely empty; AP wrote that Riyadh is investigating how the defenses failed. Reuters also reported that oil company executives were removed from an event, and Turkey, Pakistan and Egypt condemned the attacks. There are injured Filipinos and Indians in intensive care (Inquirer, Philstar, Economic Times). RTP recorded at least one death in Sunday’s attack.
Riyadh is an air hub and the largest market in the Gulf; an airport that is closed or avoided affects travelers, pilgrims and businesses. A successful attack on major Saudi infrastructure, in a region with oil, also moves energy prices.
If you have a trip booked to Saudi Arabia, or with a stopover in Riyadh, check your flight directly with the airline and read the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advisories. For Portuguese families, the most likely effect is indirect, through fuel.
The governments that condemned the attacks say that targeting a civilian airport is unacceptable and demand stronger protection of air routes.
The Houthis, who claimed the attacks, present them as retaliation in their conflict with Saudi Arabia; analysts warn that the escalation could draw in more countries.
The death toll and the exact origin of the projectiles still do not have two independent sources, so we do not repeat them as certain. What can be stated is the effect: cancelled flights, empty skies and an open Saudi investigation. What to watch today is whether flights return and whether Iran responds on Hormuz.
Reuters, AP, RTP, Inquirer, Philstar, Manila Times, The Economic Times, CNA (Oct. 12, 2026)
Airlines cancel flights to Saudi Arabia and Riyadh is left with almost empty skies after Houthi attacks on the airport
Saudi Arabia is investigating how its air defenses failed, oil companies pull executives from an event in the capital and injured foreigners are in intensive care.
On Monday, Riyadh airport and the airspace around the Saudi capital continued to feel the effects of the attacks claimed by the Houthis, the armed movement in Yemen backed by Iran. Reuters wrote that several airlines cancelled flights to Saudi Arabia and that the skies over Riyadh were “largely empty”. The Associated Press (AP) reported that Saudi authorities are investigating how the defense systems failed to stop the attack, which caused deaths. RTP, in the early hours of Monday, recorded at least one death in Sunday’s attack.
The impact extends to the economy and to sport. Reuters reported that top executives of oil companies were removed from the program of an event in Riyadh, and The Economic Times wrote that BP pulled out of an energy conference in the capital. In sport, CNA wrote that Alalshikh, a Saudi sports figure, says Álvarez’s title fight in Riyadh is still on, despite the attacks. Among the injured are foreigners: the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said four Filipinos were injured, three of them in intensive care (Inquirer, Philstar, Manila Times), and the Indian embassy said three Indians are in intensive care but stable (The Economic Times). The Manila Times spoke of hundreds injured in total; the figure was not confirmed by a second source.
Reuters also reported that Turkey, Pakistan and Egypt condemned the attacks, and yesterday’s edition reported that the Houthis claimed them. In this window we did not find two independent sources for the total death toll: yesterday’s edition recorded 12 dead in a first attack, and RTP at least one in the following attack, but adding the two numbers would not be rigorous.
What to follow in Portugal and Europe is the indirect effect. Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s largest oil exporters and a hub of air connections to Asia; anyone with booked flights should talk to the airline, and the oil price continues to react to any news from the region. Reuters also reported that Iran will respond to the United States’ response to its proposal on the Strait of Hormuz, the sea passage through which a large share of the world’s oil travels, once the review it says it is carrying out is finished.