San Francisco Frontiers - Saudi airport closure disrupts life in kingdom's capital

Deadly strikes by Yemen's Houthis in recent weeks have dealt a blow to the kingdom, forcing the airport to close until further notice and a slate of events to be postponed or cancelled including its flagship investment forum dubbed "Davos in the desert".

Government agencies in the Saudi capital have also told employees to work from home starting Monday, one worker and two consultants told AFP, as has the 99-storey Kingdom Centre skyscraper in downtown Riyadh housing the regional office of the International Monetary Fund.

"When people start throwing missiles directly at Riyadh airport and any other airport, you can't just continue to operate," said Captain Desmond Ross, an aviation expert based in Dubai and Ireland with decades of experience as a pilot and air traffic controller.

"An attack on an airport is something entirely different from a non-aviation target," he told AFP.

"I think Riyadh has suffered that more dramatically than any other of the Gulf nations or the Arab nations," during the ongoing Middle East war.

Last week, the Saudi-led coalition accused the Houthis of attacking Riyadh's airport 20 times in October alone.

"The Houthis must immediately cease all terrorist operations," said coalition spokesman Turki Al-Malki.

Saudi Arabia has faced Houthi barrages targeting its airports and energy infrastructure in recent weeks, after fighting between the kingdom and the Iran-backed rebels sharply escalated.

The Houthis have remained unrepentant and continued to issue warnings about flying in Saudi airspace.

Saudi officials did not respond to questions from AFP about a possible timeline for the airport's reopening.

According to a regional airline source, their carrier was told by Saudi authorities on Friday the airport would remain closed until further notice, with no further details provided.

A second source from another regional carrier said the airline had been told the airport would remain closed at least until October 24.

- Turbulence -

With the airport shuttered, Saudi Arabia has been forced to cancel or postpone high-profile events, including a star-studded tennis tournament.

The move came amid other announcements concerning MDLBEAST Soundstorm music festival, Riyadh fashion week and the Red Sea Film Festival.

The kingdom's flagship investment forum the Future Investment Initiative (FII) was also postponed until 2027 on Monday.

It deals another blow to the kingdom's ambitious economic transformation drive.

For nearly a decade, the conference has been a showcase for Saudi Arabia's push to attract global investors, business leaders and heads of state -- and to sell its vision of an economy less dependent on oil.

"Few want to visit a country under persistent deadly missile attacks. And even fewer want to invest in one," wrote Karen Elliott House, author of a recent book about the crown prince, in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.

Domestic airlines have scrambled to find alternative routes for the capital's seven million residents, with recent targeted advertisements highlighting flights from Qassim airport three hours from Riyadh.

Others have bused to airports in Bahrain and Qatar to both exit and enter the kingdom.

A Dubai-based consultant said that "no employee is forced to travel to Saudi Arabia" but if a client relationship was at risk they were "encouraged to make the trip by car via Bahrain".

One Riyadh resident described being re-routed mid-flight during an attack on the airport.

"We decided to land in Jeddah," said the resident on the condition of anonymity. "From Jeddah, thank God, everything worked out, and we were able to catch a flight to Qassim."

With many offices moving to remote work, expatriates in Riyadh who frequently travelled to their home countries on weekends are still weighing their options.

"I can cope with this situation for a month or more, but I cannot imagine it lasting much longer than that," said a resident, who flew home to a Middle Eastern country often before the closure.

Western embassies have also tightened travel advisories, with some warning against travelling to the kingdom.

The moves, and the chatter among expatriates about possibly leaving Saudi Arabia, have stirred resentment among some Saudis who feel well-heeled foreigners have not stuck by their side.

Saudi ministers have instead sought to reassure residents and investors.

As text messages warning of an attack on the capital were sent last week, Human Resources Minister Ahmad bin Sulaiman Al Rajhi looked up from his phone at the Riyadh Economic Forum.

"We are safe. With God's will," he told the crowd. "May God turn their plots back against them."

G.Miller--SFF