Saudia Plane Heavily Damaged by Fire at Riyadh Airport

RIYADH, Oct 9: A commercial aircraft belonging to Saudi Arabia’s state-owned Saudia airline was heavily damaged by fire while parked at a terminal at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Three people briefed on the incident told Reuters that the aircraft may have been damaged by shrapnel from an intercepted projectile or by a direct hit from another projectile. The sources said the plane was believed to have been empty of passengers when the incident occurred, although they could not rule out possible injuries.

Video verified by Reuters showed flames and a thick column of black smoke rising from the airport.

The incident occurred amid a fresh escalation involving attacks targeting Saudi Arabia. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement claimed it had launched a ballistic missile toward King Khalid International Airport, while the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted two ballistic missiles heading toward Riyadh and another toward Khamis Mushait.

Saudi Arabia’s government media office, civil aviation authority and Saudia Airlines had not responded to Reuters’ requests for comment on the damage to the aircraft.