# Saudi flight disruptions after Houthi attacks leave Kerala expats stranded 2026-10-22T05:11:07+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Houthi attacks targeting Saudi Arabian airports have disrupted flights connecting Kerala with the kingdom since October 8, leaving thousands of Malayali expatriates uncertain about travel. Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, and Akasa Air have suspended services to Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam until at least October 24, with Akasa extending its suspension to October 27. The Indian Embassy has advised nationals urgently needing to leave Saudi Arabia to consider alternative routes through Bahrain, Kuwait, or Qatar, subject to visa requirements. Kozhikode International Airport saw 22 flight cancellations on October 16, including 12 arrivals and 10 departures, while Cochin International Airport reported 10 cancellations between October 11 and 13. Riyadh airport, closed since the initial attack, is set for a review on October 24 that may decide on extending its closure or resuming operations. Airports and airlines have urged passengers to confirm flight status before travelling and contact carriers for rebooking or refunds. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both outlets report the same core facts on flight cancellations, airline suspensions, and the October 24 review date, making the coverage largely uniform straight reporting. Onmanorama focuses on human impact through the personal accounts of Abhilash and Jamsheer Mankada and includes graphic descriptions of the attacks, while Gulf News is more service-oriented, emphasising passenger advice such as checking flight status and rebooking options. Neither outlet adopts a political or critical stance towards the government, both present the disruption as a factual security-driven event. The balanced reading is that the story remains open until the October 24 review, when Saudi authorities may extend or lift the Riyadh airport closure. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 1 neutral, 1 sensationalist - onmanorama.com (sensationalist) Leads with personal suffering and eyewitness accounts - gulfnews.com (neutral report) Focuses on passenger advisories and service updates This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: Air India, Houthis, Kerala, Malayali expats, Riyadh airport, Saudi Arabia Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/saudi-flight-disruptions-after-houthi-attacks-leave-kerala-expats-stranded/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/saudi-flight-disruptions-after-houthi-attacks-leave-kerala-expats-stranded/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/