Canada warns citizens to avoid Riyadh airport after reported Houthi attack
The advisory follows a reported missile strike on the airport that caused injuries and suspended operations.
RIYADH — Canada has warned its citizens in Saudi Arabia to avoid King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh following a reported missile attack that disrupted operations and caused injuries.
The advisory, shared on X on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, cited "ongoing military activity" affecting the airport and resulting in travel disruptions.
"The statement says Canadians in Saudi Arabia are advised that ongoing military activity has affected operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and is resulting in travel disruptions," the advisory stated.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the violence in a statement.
"There can be no justification for attacks on civilian infrastructure. No political or military objective can justify the deliberate targeting of innocent people," he said.
Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said in a statement that an attack on the airport resulted in "a number of injuries, which are currently being assessed."
"Operations at the airport have been temporarily suspended until the damage assessment is completed and the safety of the facilities is verified," it added.
A diplomatic source told AFP that the facility was struck by a Houthi missile and that dozens were wounded.
The Canadian government urged its citizens to avoid all travel to the airport, monitor local media, follow instructions from Saudi authorities and confirm flight status directly with airlines.
The advisory also cautioned Canadians against approaching military debris or fragments and instructed anyone who encounters such debris to move away immediately and contact local authorities.
Canada’s advisory follows similar warnings from the United States, Britain, Spain and Germany.
The U.S. embassy said it is "aware of attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 10, 2026, and strongly recommends all U.S. citizens avoid this airport and surrounding areas."
Spain's embassy, in a message on X, alerted nationals to a "new attack" by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis on the airport.
All flights to Riyadh had been diverted or cancelled following the incident, according to flight tracking website flightradar24.
Kuwait Airways said it cancelled two flights in and out of Riyadh "due to the closure of the airport resulting from the security situation."
The Canadian government urged its citizens to register with its travel registration service to receive updates and facilitate assistance during emergencies.
The warning comes a day after Saudi authorities said three Saudi citizens were killed and several more wounded in strikes on the airport on Thursday.
The authority said two separate attacks took place, one that targeted the airport's facilities and another that struck a commercial plane belonging to Saudia, the country’s national flag carrier.
France's embassy on Friday urged French nationals to take "utmost care" in Saudi Arabia because of "strikes in recent days by the Houthis."
With files from People Daily, The New Region and L'Orient Today