Air India and Air India Express extend Riyadh flight cancellations to mid-October

Air India Express and Air India have extended cancellations of flights to and from Riyadh, with Air India Express suspending services until October 14 and Air India until October 15, citing the evolving security situation in Saudi Arabia. The airlines, which initially cancelled flights until October 10, are closely monitoring regional developments and offering affected passengers full refunds, with Air India Express also providing free rescheduling. Air India Express operates 16 weekly flights to Riyadh from four Indian cities, while Air India runs seven weekly flights from Delhi and Mumbai. Akasa Air has separately cancelled Riyadh flights until October 11. The cancellations follow attacks on Saudi airports in Riyadh and Abha, reportedly by Houthi militants, amid escalating hostilities between the Iran-backed group and Saudi Arabia involving armed drones and missiles.