Air India and its budget arm, Air India Express, on Saturday cancelled more flights to and from Saudi Arabia amid the ongoing Houthi attacks on the kingdom's airports.
Notably, a loud blast was also heard at Riyadh airport on the same day, an eyewitness and people briefed on the matter told Reuters, as regional tensions flare up.
Air India Express will keep its flights to and from Riyadh cancelled until October 14, while Air India’s suspension will remain in place until October 15. Both carriers had earlier cancelled their Riyadh flights till October 10, in view of the evolving tensions.
Officials told PTI that the airlines were closely monitoring the situation and assessing the developments in the region, and were even offering full refunds on cancellations to affected passengers.
Air India Express operates 16 weekly flights to Riyadh from four Indian cities—Bengaluru, Kochi, Kannur and Kozhikode—while Air India has seven weekly flights to Riyadh from Delhi and Mumbai.
IndiGo's cancellation had been until October 9, while Akasa Air also extended its cancellation of Saudi flights till October 11.
This comes as the Iran-backed Houthi militia has intensified its attacks on Saudi Arabia over the past few days, which has left at least four dead and nearly 40 others injured.
A number of the Houthi airstrikes targeted the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and the Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia, which has caused major damage, and choking off the country's air travel.
This is viewed as the Houthis's attempts to further add unsettle Saudi Arabia's economy—by attempting to choke the kingdom's civil aviation at a time when business and travel trips are typically on the rise.
To make things worse, the kingdom's oil industry is already reeling from the impact of the associated US-Iran war, as a Saudi-led military coalition fights back the Houthis to prevent being forced into a corner as the West Asia crisis evolves.
In any case, for now, the missile and drone strikes have put global carriers on high alert, with cancellations crossing 330 earlier this week as major energy and investment conferences to be held in the kingdom take a backseat.
