IN Brief:
- Saudi Arabia's measured international air cargo capacity declined 33% to 7,292 tonnes over three days compared with the equivalent period a week earlier.
- Riyadh's available freighter and widebody passenger capacity fell 99%, from 3,925 tonnes to just 26 tonnes.
- Airline suspensions and airspace restrictions are limiting alternatives, with some Saudi-bound cargo held in Muscat following cancelled flights.
Saudi Arabia’s international air cargo capacity has fallen by 33% following attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, with restrictions on airport operations and airline suspensions sharply reducing the freight space available for shipments entering and leaving the country.
Aviation data provider Rotate recorded 7,292 tonnes of combined inbound and outbound capacity on freighter and widebody passenger aircraft over the three days assessed on 13 October 2026. That represents a decline of 3,537 tonnes compared with the equivalent 72-hour period a week earlier. At Riyadh, available capacity across the same aircraft categories fell 99%, from 3,925 tonnes to just 26 tonnes.
The figures measure available aircraft capacity rather than cargo actually carried or consignments confirmed as delayed. They nevertheless demonstrate the scale of the disruption to a gateway handling a substantial share of Saudi Arabia’s international air freight, particularly because cancelled passenger services remove cargo space as well as seats.
King Khalid International Airport has been subject to precautionary restrictions since attacks on 8 October. Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said on 12 October that the suspension had been extended while authorities checked the safety and operational readiness of airport facilities. A notice to airmen subsequently identified the aerodrome as unavailable until 21:00 UTC on 17 October, although that time does not constitute a confirmed reopening commitment.
The airport handled 576,600 tonnes of cargo in 2025, compared with 458,900 tonnes at Jeddah, according to the Saudi aviation authority. Those annual totals establish Riyadh’s importance within the national freight network, but cannot be used to calculate the quantity of cargo stranded by the present closure.
Air freight capacity comes from dedicated freighter aircraft and the lower-deck cargo compartments of passenger services. Both are affected when an airport closes or an airline cancels a route, although the resulting reduction differs according to aircraft type, operating schedule and the amount of cargo space ordinarily offered. Rotate’s measurements exclude narrowbody passenger aircraft and should therefore not be interpreted as encompassing every possible form of air transport.
Several airlines have extended their service restrictions beyond the initial airport disruption. Air France-KLM has suspended Riyadh services until the end of October, while Etihad’s Abu Dhabi–Riyadh flights are cancelled until 19 October. Delta Air Lines has postponed its planned Atlanta–Riyadh service from 23 October until March 2027, delaying an additional source of passenger aircraft bellyhold capacity.
These decisions mean that the restoration of airport operations would not necessarily bring an immediate return to earlier freight capacity. Aircraft and crews must be repositioned, scheduled services reinstated and existing bookings reconciled with the available space. Shipments affected by cancellation may also require revised routing arrangements even after the airport becomes available again.
Some Saudi-bound cargo is already being held at alternative regional gateways. Oman Air Cargo has confirmed that a small quantity of freight is waiting in Muscat after planned passenger services to Riyadh were cancelled. Mike Duggan, head of Oman Air Cargo, said the company was considering whether continued disruption should accelerate the introduction of its planned Saudi road feeder service, although that service was still under development.
Road feeder transport offers a means of connecting an operational airport with destinations that cannot currently be served directly by air. Such movements require suitable vehicles, border documentation, customs arrangements and coordination between cargo handlers and the receiving transport provider. Their availability also depends on the nature of the goods and whether the revised journey can meet the customer’s delivery requirements.
Freight forwarder Expeditors has identified road transport among the alternatives being considered for disrupted shipments. Its 9 October operational advisory recorded service suspensions affecting Riyadh, but did not quantify diverted cargo or confirm the availability of equivalent replacement capacity at other Saudi airports.
Restrictions affecting flights passing through Saudi airspace introduce a further constraint. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency revised its Saudi Arabia conflict-zone bulletin on 9 October, recommending that operators avoid two defined areas and exercise caution elsewhere within the Jeddah flight information region because of risks associated with missiles, drones and air defence activity.
Aircraft avoiding restricted or higher-risk areas may need to fly longer routes, increasing fuel requirements and potentially reducing payload on weight-constrained services. These effects can extend to flights that would ordinarily cross Saudi airspace without landing, adding complexity to transport planning across the wider region.
Saudia Cargo’s own international freighter and widebody bellyhold capacity declined 19% over the measured three-day period, according to Rotate. The airline is preparing to receive four additional Boeing 777 freighters between October 2026 and May 2027, but the delivery of new aircraft cannot resolve restrictions affecting their intended airports and operating routes.
The immediate recovery of Saudi air freight will depend on airport safety clearances, airlines restoring their schedules and sufficient ground handling capacity becoming available. Until those conditions are met, the measured reduction in aircraft capacity will continue to constrain booking options and complicate the movement of time-sensitive industrial and healthcare cargo.
