Dammam airport attacked; Riyadh handling a few Saudi flights

King Fahd International Airport in Dammam was attacked on the evening of 21 October. Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said two people were killed, a Saudi citizen and an Indian resident, and eight were injured, among them Yemeni, Bangladeshi and Nepali nationals; flights were diverted during the attack, and the authority said on 22 October that operations had resumed and air traffic had returned to normal. A drone attack on the Shaybah oil field in the Eastern Province the same morning killed two workers and injured others, including a Pakistani resident, according to the Saudi energy ministry.

Riyadh's airport has begun handling a limited number of domestic flights by Saudia and flynas, each with prior permission from the authority, while most foreign airlines keep their Riyadh services cancelled and PIA's Riyadh flights remain suspended with no date announced. Pilgrims whose itinerary connects through Abu Dhabi should note that Etihad has now cancelled its Riyadh and Dammam flights and the EY601 to EY604 Jeddah services through Thursday 5 November. Confirm your flight, your terminal at Jeddah and your onward transport to Makkah with the airline or your Umrah operator before leaving for the airport.