Air India, IndiGo cancel and divert Riyadh flights after missile threat — SkimNews
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- Air India cancelled flight AI2243 from Delhi to Riyadh on October 8, 2026 after the aircraft returned to Delhi for passenger and crew safety, offering full refunds.
- Air India suspended all flights to and from Riyadh through October 10, 2026, citing the developing regional situation and directing passengers to monitor updates.
- Air India Express separately cancelled its Riyadh services through October 10, 2026 in a parallel response to the same security situation.
- IndiGo diverted a Hyderabad-to-Riyadh flight to Dammam on October 8, 2026, and cancelled Riyadh-Delhi flights for Thursday and Friday plus Riyadh-Hyderabad and Riyadh-Mumbai services for Friday.
- Iran-aligned Houthi rebels attacked Saudi Arabia with a missile fired toward Riyadh International Airport, the triggering event cited by airlines for the disruptions.
Why it matters: Three of India's largest carriers simultaneously grounded or diverted Riyadh routes through October 10, stranding passengers on the busiest India-Saudi corridor and forcing airlines to issue refunds rather than rebook — a concrete operational signal that the Houthi missile threat to Riyadh's main airport is severe enough to override commercial scheduling.
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