PIA temporarily suspends flights to Riyadh citing ‘situation in the Middle East’: spokesperson

AI Summary

Pakistan International Airlines has temporarily suspended flights to Riyadh, citing the deteriorating Middle East situation, amid intensified fighting involving Saudi forces and Yemen's Houthis. Recent attacks struck airports in Riyadh and elsewhere in Saudi Arabia, causing deaths, injuries, and damage to an aircraft.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Friday temporarily suspended its flight operations to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, “in view of the situation in the Middle East”, according to a spokesperson. The airline asked passengers to contact the PIA call centre to check the latest status of their flights. The announcement comes as fighting between Saudi and Houthi forces intensifies. On Wednesday, three people were killed in attacks on two Saudi international airports including in the capital Riyadh, after Yemen’s Houthis claimed to have fired on both transport hubs. A Pakistani was injured in the attack on King Khalid International Airport, along with five Saudi citizens and two Egyptians. The Riyadh airport was attacked again on Thursday, causing catastrophic damage to a plane. Soon after the US-Iran war began, PIA suspended flights to several Gulf countries on March 1, including United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait. At the time, the airline said it would not suspend flights to Saudi Arabia. More to follow.