ශ්‍රී ලංකන් ගුවන් සේවයේ කොළඹ – දම්මාම් ගුවන්ගමන් අවලංගු කෙරේ

SriLankan Airlines has stopped flights to Riyadh until October 18, according to Sri Lanka Mirror and Divaina. Both outlets said recent events near the airport and security and operational assessments informed the decision. The Sunday Times separately reported a temporary halt to Riyadh services.

The airline cancelled Colombo–Dammam flights due to operate on October 12, according to reports by Newswire and Dinamina. Newswire and Ada Derana also reported that flights on the route would remain suspended through October 18; Hiru News reported cancellations affecting Dammam services.

Newswire, citing Reuters, reported that Saudi authorities prolonged the shutdown of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. A notice issued on October 12 set the closure’s end for 9 p.m. GMT on October 17, which corresponds to midnight on October 18 in Saudi Arabia. The General Authority of Civil Aviation said the extra time was needed for safety checks and to prepare airport facilities for the return of operations. The airport had been closed since October 10.

Newswire attributed the shutdown to attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels. It reported that an October 10 attack killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, and another attack on October 11 killed one person and injured nearly a dozen. The same report said flights continued through other Saudi airports, including Jeddah, while aircraft largely avoided Riyadh. Cirium data cited by Newswire put cancellations across Saudi airports at 46.4%. The reports give no further detail on SriLankan Airlines’ plans after October 18.