Riyadh Airport Suspended: Passenger Rights Explained

The General Authority of Civil Aviation temporarily suspended operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh to carry out damage assessment, safety inspections, and operational-readiness checks. The suspension led to hundreds of flights being delayed or cancelled, affecting large numbers of travellers in the capital.

Passengers are urged to confirm the status of their flights directly with their airline and the airport before heading to the terminal, as schedules may continue to change while readiness checks are completed.

Your options as an affected passenger

Travellers hit by the disruption may request a full ticket refund or change their destination to another Saudi city served by the same airline without paying change fees or fare differences. The exact refund, rebooking, and assistance process is handled by the operating airline, and no universal fixed fee was reported.

Under passenger-rights rules, compensation is set at 50 SDR for delays of three to six hours and 150 SDR for delays exceeding six hours. Passengers whose flights are delayed more than two hours may also terminate the booking and receive a full ticket-price refund without any deductions.

For safety instructions and the latest operational updates, passengers should rely only on the Civil Aviation Authority, the airport, and their airline. No separate online government procedure applies to this situation, so travellers are advised to avoid unofficial claims and deal directly with their carrier for refunds and rebooking.

---

Stay updated with the latest news, events, sports updates, business insights, real estate and lifestyle stories on Saudi Living — the leading online platform for residents, expats, and visitors in Saudi Arabia.

Follow Saudi Living for daily updates:

• Instagram - @saudiliving
• X - @saudiliving
• Facebook - @saudiliving
• YouTube - @saudiliving