7days of closure for southern Saudi airports… What are the repercussions on air traffic and the economy?

Exclusive Follow-ups – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues, for the seventh consecutive day, to close its three southern airports (Abha, Jizan, Najran), amid the continued military escalation with the Yemeni Armed Forces, which has led to a complete paralysis of civil and military air traffic, a sharp decline in passenger movement, and negative effects on economic activity in these vital areas.

Flight data shows the continued cancellation of all civil flights to and from Abha, Jizan, and Najran airports, with consecutive cancellations recorded for the seventh consecutive day, an indicator of the continued state of maximum alert and declining confidence in civil aviation.

Abha International Airport is a main gateway to the southern region, serving more than 5 million passengers annually, while Jazan Regional Airport is a vital artery for the region, serving more than 2 million passengers annually. Najran Airport serves more than 1.5 million passengers annually.

The repeated closures have caused heavy losses to the aviation sector, as Saudi airlines have lost an estimated hundreds of millions of riyals due to flight cancellations, in addition to the impact on air freight movement, which transported goods and foodstuffs to these areas, leading to higher prices for basic commodities in local markets.

Data from “FlightAware,” specialized in tracking air traffic, had previously shown the continued cancellation of all civil flights to and from Abha, Jizan, and Najran airports, with the cancellation of dozens of scheduled flights, the complete emptiness of the airspace around the airports of civilian aircraft, and the diversion of other flights.

Economic websites spoke of the closure leading to a near-complete halt in economic and service activities related to the airports, which placed additional pressure on neighboring Saudi airports that tried to absorb the crisis.

International airlines such as Egypt’s “Air Cairo” and “Flydubai” had announced the suspension of their flights to these airports, while other airlines resorted to changing flight routes to avoid high-risk areas.

Observers believe that the continued closure of these airports, which are vital gateways for Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea, reflects the scale of losses being incurred by Riyadh as a result of the war, and confirms that the continued siege on Yemen will only bring more losses, and that peace is the safest option for everyone.

The Yemeni Armed Forces had announced in mid-July their warning to all airlines against using the aforementioned Saudi airports, as they have become legitimate military targets, within the framework of the “escalation-for-escalation” equation imposed by Sana’a in response to the continued aggression and unjust siege.

The Yemeni Armed Forces have been imposing their naval blockade on Saudi navigation since July 20 and recently carrying out their qualitative operations against the Saudi regime’s mobilizations in Yemeni areas under its control.