Canada advises travellers to avoid Riyadh’s King Khalid airport as Houthi strikes kill at least 13

Canada is advising travellers to avoid all travel to King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and to avoid non-essential travel to Saudi Arabia after Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen struck the capital’s main airport in a series of attacks that Saudi authorities say killed at least 13 people and wounded hundreds. Global Affairs Canada updated its Saudi Arabia travel advice on Oct. 11, citing ongoing military activity that has disrupted airport operations and closed the facility.

Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said Saturday’s strike on a passenger terminal killed 12 people and injured more than 300, according to reporting by ABC News and The Canadian Press. Those killed included four Saudis and nationals from Bangladesh, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Sudan, Syria and the United States, Saudi officials said. A follow-up projectile strike on Sunday killed a Pakistani resident and wounded 11 others, the Saudi-led coalition and civil aviation authority reported.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the Riyadh airport attacks, which came as a Saudi-led coalition supports Yemeni government forces in intensified fighting along the Red Sea. The Canadian Press, carried by Global News, said the airport remained closed Sunday and flight-tracking sites showed no air traffic around Riyadh. Earlier strikes in the same week had already killed civilians at the airport, including a Sudanese national and three Saudis, among them a pilot.

Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the violence late Saturday, calling Houthi attacks on civilian infrastructure “abhorrent” and unjustified. “Canada condemns these reckless acts of violence in the strongest possible terms,” Carney said in a social media post quoted by The Canadian Press. “We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those killed and wish a full recovery to those injured.”

Canada’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Jean-Philippe Linteau, said in a video Sunday that the embassy in Riyadh remains open for Canadians who need consular help. He urged anyone who encounters military debris to walk away, contact authorities and refrain from posting about it on social media — advice that tracks with Saudi warnings that filming or sharing images of missile and drone interception sites can bring legal liability.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said she contacted Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud and conveyed Canada’s “unwavering support for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity,” The Canadian Press reported. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also condemned the attacks, writing that they showed “a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life,” according to ABC News.

The travel advisory comes as major business events continue on the Saudi calendar. The World Petroleum Congress opened in Riyadh on Sunday, and the Future Investment Initiative summit is scheduled later in October. Jeffrey Steiner of the Canada-Saudi Business Council told The Canadian Press that Canadian firms still plan to attend longer-term investment forums tied to Saudi Vision 2030, while monitoring the security situation day by day.

Sources: Global Affairs Canada travel advice (Saudi Arabia); The Canadian Press via Global News (Oct. 11, 2026); ABC News (Oct. 11, 2026); CGTN (Oct. 13, 2026).