Saudia has confirmed that one of its pilots, Captain Hamoud Ali al-Kalthami, was killed in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on 8 October, while one of the carrier’s aircraft was damaged on the ground with no passengers aboard. Saudi civil aviation authorities said the airport was hit in two separate attacks, one targeting facilities and another striking a Saudia aircraft, as operations were disrupted before later resuming the same day.
The Houthi movement claimed responsibility for the strike on Riyadh’s main airport, which was also reported to have caused fatalities and injuries among Saudi nationals and other travellers. Emergency procedures were activated after the attacks, and airport services returned to normal later on Thursday, around 6 p.m. local time.
Reports linked the aircraft damage to a missile or debris impact, and some coverage indicated the plane may have caught fire while parked at a terminal stand. The exact circumstances of Captain al-Kalthami’s death have not been disclosed, and the aircraft type has not been identified in the available confirmations.