Riyadh Air Cargo capacity remains at 6% after airport attacks

Air cargo capacity at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport (RUH) remains significantly below normal levels following airport attacks earlier this month, with recovery expected to be gradual amid ongoing security concerns and flight suspensions.

The airport’s closure resulted in the loss of approximately 1,500 tonnes of outbound cargo capacity per day. Current capacity has recovered to only around 6% of normal levels, highlighting the continued disruption to air freight operations.

The capacity shortfall has primarily affected routes to Asia and South Asia, as well as Gulf hub destinations, which account for approximately a quarter of the lost capacity.

Although Terminals 1 and 2 have formally reopened, the resumption of operations remains constrained by continuing attacks and extended suspensions of services by foreign airlines.

According to Aevean’s Insights dashboards, air cargo capacity and network developments continue to be monitored as the situation evolves.

The disruption has affected several key cargo destinations, particularly in Asia and the Gulf region. Hong Kong (HKG) lost around 115 tonnes of daily capacity, Doha (DOH) 139 tonnes, Dubai (DXB) 121 tonnes, Dhaka (DAC) 112 tonnes and Cairo (CAI) 98 tonnes. These figures highlight the impact of the disruption on regional and international cargo connections, with continued security concerns and foreign airline suspensions likely to slow the recovery of air freight operations.

Saudi authorities suspended operations on 10 October to assess the safety and operational readiness of the airport’s facilities. The closure followed attacks attributed to Yemen’s Houthi movement. Although some terminals have reopened, ongoing security concerns and foreign airline suspensions continue to hinder the recovery of air cargo operations.