Australia raised its travel advisory for Saudi Arabia and Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport to the highest alert level following airstrikes on the airport last week, in which at least 14 people were killed and hundreds more sustained injuries amid ongoing hostilities between the Houthi movement operating out of Yemen and a Saudi-led military coalition.
A strike on King Khalid International Airport on Saturday killed at least 13 people and left more than 300 others wounded, with the Houthi movement claiming responsibility for the operation — a toll that authorities described as the steepest from any single such event in the kingdom in over a decade. On the Monday that followed, a strike left one person dead and 11 others with injuries, according to the civil aviation authority of Saudi Arabia, while the Houthi group separately claimed responsibility for targeting additional airports and indicated that further action was forthcoming.
Updated guidance on the Smartraveller website, maintained by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, advised Australians to put off travel to Saudi Arabia — whether for personal, professional, or religious reasons — to avoid King Khalid International Airport altogether, and to exercise heightened precautions at any other airports in the country, given a security environment described as difficult to predict. The document noted that, in the wake of Houthi notices targeting Saudi airports and airspace, passengers across all major airports were encountering recurring airspace closures alongside widespread flight cancellations and delays.
Authorities clarified that the "do not travel" notice extended to transit passages as well, adding that anyone who proceeded regardless bore responsibility for assessing the associated risks. Australians in Saudi Arabia were advised to depart via any still-available commercial flights, or — where safety permits — to travel overland by car, rail, or bus toward connecting aviation points such as Abu Dhabi in the UAE or Doha in Qatar.
Qatar and the UAE — both home to transit hubs that handle passenger volumes in the tens of millions annually — carry a Level 2 travel advisory, meaning authorities recommend that travellers exercise a high degree of caution given terrorism-related concerns and an unsettled security environment across the broader region. Those departing through Saudi airports were urged by the advisory to monitor the latest updates, take guidance from local authorities and airport personnel, and limit the time spent in those facilities.
Smartraveller advised travellers to hold off heading to any airport until their airline had confirmed their booking, noting that armed exchanges and retaliatory incidents had taken place across parts of the Middle East, with regional tensions remaining at an elevated level. The advisory body noted that on-the-ground situations can change with little notice, meaning any guidance issued remains open to revision at short notice.
Those remaining in Saudi Arabia received an official advisory to keep adequate stocks of food, water, and other necessities on hand, and to be prepared to take cover at short notice — with the guidance adding that anyone caught in a strike should move into a solid structure and keep clear of windows. The statement also noted that wreckage from missiles and drones brought down by air defences can itself present a hazard on the ground.
A travel advisory released by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on Saturday placed Saudi Arabia among destinations where travel without a pressing reason is discouraged.
