Eskalasi konflik geopolitik di Semenanjung Arabia mencapai titik krusial pada Kamis, 8 Oktober 2026, ketika kelompok milisi Houthi dari Yaman melancarkan serangan rudal balistik yang menyasar langsung kompleks Bandara Internasional King Khalid di Riyadh, Arab Saudi.
Serangan yang terjadi pada Kamis sore waktu setempat ini langsung melumpuhkan aktivitas penerbangan di hub transportasi udara paling vital di kawasan tersebut. Bandara Internasional King Khalid yang terletak sekitar 35 kilometer di utara pusat kota Riyadh merupakan gerbang penerbangan komersial utama serta ikon modernisasi infrastruktur Kerajaan Arab Saudi.
Diresmikan pada tahun 1983 dan berdiri di atas lahan seluas 370 kilometer persegi, fasilitas aviasi raksasa yang dikelola oleh Riyadh Airports Company ini berfungsi sebagai pusat operasi (hub) bagi maskapai nasional Saudia serta basis penerbangan murah Flynas. Kompleks infrastruktur ini dilengkapi dengan lima terminal penumpang utama, terminal VIP Kerajaan, dua landasan pacu paralel sepanjang 4.200 meter yang sanggup menampung pesawat berbadan lebar seperti Airbus A380, serta depot kargo dan fasilitas penampungan bahan bakar berkapasitas besar.
🇾🇪⚔️🇸🇦 Images show a burned-out Saudia jet at Riyadh’s King Khalid airport after Houthi missile fire — direct hit claimed, cause not confirmed
Footage and photos from Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Oct. 8 show a stationary aircraft in Saudia livery, an Airbus A320-family jet, burned out, surrounded by emergency vehicles, with thick black smoke and flames near airport buildings, according to aviation outlets that published the images. Reuters reported smoke rising from a stationary aircraft believed to be empty, three people briefed on the matter said, and that the fire has been put out; no casualties aboard have been reported. The Houthis said a ballistic missile hit the airport; the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired at Riyadh. The airport closed again and flights were delayed. Saudi authorities have not confirmed the Houthi claim or the aircraft’s status. Reported by Reuters, AP, AirLive and aviation press; I could not independently verify the images.
Whether the jet was hit directly by a missile or damaged by debris from an interception. Outlets showing the footage say there is no independent confirmation of a direct hit. Saudi state media said debris from an intercepted missile also damaged a kindergarten and a medical clinic complex in Riyadh.
Saudi civil aviation authority GACA says three civilians were killed and 36 injured in Houthi-claimed attacks on Abha and Riyadh airports on Tuesday and Wednesday: two women, a Moroccan and an Algerian, were killed in Abha, with 28 injured, and a Sudanese resident was killed in Riyadh, with eight injured, including five Saudis.
Whatever the cause, a Saudi-flagged airliner was destroyed on the ground at the kingdom’s main hub, and the airport keeps shutting. That is the Houthi objective: disrupt aviation and shake confidence, as their warning to airlines makes clear. What would settle the cause: a Saudi aviation or defense statement, the aircraft’s registration, and any imagery of missile fragments.
Sources: Reuters; AP; AirLive; Saudi GACA (via Al Jazeera); Flightradar24.
— 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) October 8, 2026
Meskipun sistem pertahanan udara Pertahanan Udara Kerajaan Arab Saudi berusaha melakukan intersepsi, pecahan ledakan dan hantaman proyektil berhasil menembus zona aman dan menghantam area vital di lingkungan bandara.
Serangan pada 8 Oktober 2026 ini memicu kepanikan massal serta menimbulkan kerugian fisik, operasional, dan ekonomi yang sangat signifikan. Otoritas keselamatan mengonfirmasi sedikitnya 3 orang tewas dan puluhan lainnya mengalami luka-luka akibat hantaman material ledakan serta pecahan bangunan di sekitar area terminal dan fasilitas pendukung.
Selain menelan korban jiwa, ledakan tersebut memicu kebakaran hebat di area depot penyimpanan bahan bakar penerbangan (jet fuel depot) serta kompleks logistik kargo, yang menyebabkan kepulan asap hitam pekat membumbung tinggi di atas langit bandara. Satu unit pesawat komersial yang sedang terparkir di apron juga dilaporkan mengalami kerusakan fisik cukup parah akibat serpihan material ledakan.
Sesaat setelah insiden tersebut, Otoritas Penerbangan Sipil Arab Saudi (General Authority of Civil Aviation) menghentikan seluruh jadwal pendaratan dan lepas landas secara mendadak demi keselamatan operasional.
Penghentian darurat ini memicu efek domino bagi lalu lintas penerbangan internasional, di mana sejumlah maskapai global seperti Lufthansa dan Air India langsung membatalkan serta mengalihkan rute penerbangan menuju Riyadh.
Penutupan penerbangan di gerbang utama ibu kota ini tidak hanya melumpuhkan rantai pasok kargo udara bernilai tinggi, tetapi juga memicu kerugian finansial bernilai jutaan dolar AS akibat kerusakan fisik armada, pembatalan tiket, dan gangguan stabilitas iklim bisnis serta pariwisata Kerajaan Arab Saudi secara mendadak.
