SriLankan Airlines has extended the suspension of all flights between Colombo and the Saudi Arabian cities of Riyadh and Dammam until 24 October, pushing its resumption date back by six days.
The national carrier said in a statement issued on Friday that the decision followed continuous assessment of regional developments and operational safety, and that the safety and security of passengers and crew remained its highest priority. Services will resume only once conditions are assessed as suitable for normal flight operations.
NewsFirst and Daily Mirror both attribute the extension to the prevailing security situation in the Middle East. Neither reports a new incident on Friday that prompted it.
Daily Mirror adds the contact routes for affected passengers: 1979 within Sri Lanka, +94 11 777 1979 from overseas, and WhatsApp on +94 74 444 1979 (chat only), or through travel agents.
The second deadline to move
This is not the first date to slip. SriLankan suspended both routes on 9 October with a stated resumption date of 18 October. On 14 October the carrier restated that date in a single announcement covering both cities — a consolidation of two earlier decisions rather than a new one.
By 15 October the 18 October date was already sitting against a civil aviation position that Riyadh’s airport closure had been extended once with no reopening date set. Friday’s announcement resolves that tension in the obvious direction. The suspension will now run at least 15 days.
Why this matters beyond aviation
Saudi Arabia is among the largest destinations for Sri Lankan migrant workers, and the two suspended routes are the carrier’s only direct services to the kingdom. Neither filing says how many passengers have been affected, what rebooking or refund terms apply, or whether SriLankan is routing travellers through partner carriers — the airline signed network agreements with Saudia and Flynas in June, which this desk reported at the time.
The suspensions follow a sustained campaign of Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and energy infrastructure. This desk has recorded attacks at Abha and King Khalid airports on 6 and 7 October, Riyadh airport on 8 October, the 12 killed and 309 wounded at Riyadh airport on 10 October, a strike on Dammam after the Houthis warned travellers away from all Saudi airports on 11 October, and three killed at Abha on 15 October. No Sri Lankan has appeared in any published casualty breakdown.
Not reported
Neither filing says whether 24 October is a firm date or a further holding position, how many Sri Lankan passengers are stranded or rebooked, what the suspension is costing the carrier, or whether the Foreign Employment Bureau has advised departing workers. Neither reports the status of Saudi airspace or of Riyadh and Dammam airports themselves as of Friday — the airline’s statement describes a regional assessment rather than a specific closure.
Sources: NewsFirst, Daily Mirror.
