Indians in Saudi Arabia advised to 'remain alert': what the Indian Embassy's advisory says

This note is NP NOW. The stamp is developing. It was rechecked at 11:41 am IST on 9 October 2026 and posted at 11:43 am IST. No Indian casualties had been reported as of 8:49 am IST on 9 October. That sentence is not an MEA finding. Nationality lists from Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation include no Indians.

The Embassy of India in Riyadh issued this advisory on 8 October 2026, from Riyadh: "In view of the current situation, all Indian nationals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are advised to remain alert and vigilant, stay indoors as necessary, and follow the instructions issued by local authorities through official channels. Indian nationals are strongly advised to refrain from circulating or reposting any videos or news related to the ongoing events. The Embassy of India, Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah and its outsourced services through VFS, are continuing to function normally and will issue updates and advisories as and when necessary. The 24x7 helpline of Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra (PBSK) remains available on Toll free No: 8002471234. The Indian community may follow the official social media handles of the Embassy for updates: X: @IndianEmbRiyadh; Facebook: IndiainSaudiArabia; Instagram: indianembriyadh; LinkedIn: Embassy of India in Riyadh." The MEA shared the advisory on X.

Earlier that day the MEA condemned the attacks on Abha International Airport and on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. It said "the targeting of civilian infrastructure is completely unacceptable." It named no attacker. India has not blamed anyone. The card was first posted at 1:26 pm IST under a title about airports in Riyadh, and again at 1:43 pm IST as airports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The words of the statement did not change.

GACA said the attacks on 6 and 7 October killed three people and injured 36. Of those, Abha accounts for two dead and 28 injured, and Riyadh for one dead and eight injured. GACA did not say which airport was struck on which day, and the aviation authority did not name an attacker. Saudi civil defence said debris from an intercepted missile damaged a kindergarten and a medical complex in Riyadh. Xinhua reported that the coalition intercepted two missiles headed for Riyadh.

Yemen's Houthis claimed these attacks, and claimed further strikes on Riyadh's airport on 8 October. Both are claims. Saudi authorities have not confirmed the 8 October strikes. A Saudi-led coalition spokesperson, as the BBC reports, spoke of "the Houthis' attacks" on the airports and said they "will not go unpunished." That is the spokesperson's line. It is not GACA naming an attacker, and it is not the Government of India.

Air India Express said it cancelled flights to and from Riyadh until 10 October. It runs 16 a week, from Bengaluru, Kochi, Kannur and Kozhikode, and offered free rescheduling or a full refund. Air India cancelled Riyadh flights until 10 October, with full refunds, after Delhi-Riyadh flight AI2243 turned back on 8 October. Akasa Air cancelled Riyadh flights until 10 October, News18 carrying PTI reports. An earlier BusinessLine report named only Kochi-Riyadh flights QP523 and QP524. IndiGo's end date is not one figure. The embassy travel alert, The Hindu and BusinessLine say cancellations to and from Riyadh run until 9 October. NDTV says until 10 October. This note follows the embassy date and attributes both. One IndiGo flight from Hyderabad to Riyadh was diverted to Dammam. Flights to other Saudi cities may differ. Riyadh airport asked passengers to check with their airline.

The cover is an NP map from OpenStreetMap tiles, with an NP typographic card of the MEA statement. Credit: © OpenStreetMap contributors. No photograph is used.