Airport attacks put aviation in crosshairs of geopolitical conflicts

Attacks on Saudi Arabia’s second-busiest airport are underscoring how commercial aviation is increasingly caught up in wider geopolitical conflicts. Over the past week, strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh—claimed by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis—were the deadliest in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade, with at least 13 people killed and more than 300 injured after a projectile hit airport terminals. Carriers suspended or postponed flights to Riyadh, and broader conflict has also restricted airspace in the Middle East, especially over Iran, forcing longer routes. Analysts say airport security historically focused on preventing unauthorized access rather than defending airspace, and authorities are now rethinking how to handle threats including drones.