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Two people were killed and eight injured in an attack on Wednesday evening on King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s eastern oil city of Dammam, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation announced on Thursday.
Those killed were a Saudi citizen and an Indian national, the authority said. The injuries ranged from minor to serious.
Damage was being assessed, it added.
Global flight-tracking service Flightradar24 said flights were diverted away from the airport. The United States ordered some diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia as fears of escalating Houthi attacks rise.
Airport operations had resumed and air traffic had returned to normal, the authority said.
Meanwhile, Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport was open for domestic flights on Wednesday following multiple Houthi strikes on the Saudi capital this month.
On Wednesday it was reported the US military is pulling out diplomats and their families from across the Middle East, prompting concern that Donald Trump could join attacks on the Houthis.
The State Department has ordered some diplomats and family members to depart from its missions in Saudi Arabia and is drawing up plans for further withdrawals from other embassies. Reports also said the Pentagon was pulling American troops from bases in the region.
The UK’s Foreign Office (FCDO) updated its travel advice on Saturday, 17 October, telling British citizens it advises against all but essential travel for most of Saudi Arabia.
This is an upgrade from a few weeks ago, when the attacks first started, when only certain cities and areas of Saudi Arabia were under this travel advisory.
The FCDO continues to advise against all travel to within 10km of the Yemen border.
“We advise British nationals to avoid King Khalid International Airport until it is secure and to follow the advice from the Saudi authorities,” the FCDO says.
The FCDO explains that since 13 July 2026, the Houthis have launched missiles and drones targeting several areas of Saudi Arabia.
“There is a heightened threat against airports, Saudi military and defence buildings, military bases, ports and energy infrastructure across Saudi Arabia, including Abha, Jizan, Najran, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Yanbu, as well as shipping in the Red Sea.
“Further attacks against airports as well as disruption and cancellations are very likely.”
Rather than using Saudi Arabia’s airports, the FCDO says that British nationals wishing to leave Saudi Arabia should consider travelling by land to a neighbouring country and flying from there.
