Riyadh Air Moves Six Routes to Al Qassim Airport, With a 4.5-Hour Coach From the Capital

From Sunday, October 25, 2026, Riyadh Air will fly its London, Cairo, Jeddah, Dhaka, Lahore and Islamabad services from Al Qassim Airport (ELQ) instead of Riyadh. The airline says in its travel update that passengers starting in the capital check in at a Riyadh hotel and ride a free coach to the airport, a journey it puts at 4 hours 30 minutes.

The move is Riyadh Air’s answer to the shutdown of King Khalid International Airport, its home base, after the Houthi attacks of early October. Other routes get no Al Qassim option.

How the Riyadh to Al Qassim journey works

Riyadh Air offers two options. Passengers starting in Riyadh check in at the InterContinental Durrat Al Riyadh, drop their bags there and board the airline’s complimentary coach.

The timings are long. Hotel check-in opens 8 hours 15 minutes before the flight and closes 6 hours 30 minutes before, and the coach leaves 6 hours 15 minutes before departure.

The coach reaches Al Qassim about 1 hour 45 minutes before the flight. Bags are checked through from the hotel, so passengers go straight to security and passport control.

The second option is to drive to Al Qassim and check in at the airport, where check-in opens 3 hours before departure and closes 1 hour 15 minutes before. Riyadh Air tells passengers to allow about 4 hours by car from Riyadh.

The arrangement runs in both directions. According to the airline’s FAQ, return flights from all six cities land at Al Qassim, where staff meet passengers in the baggage hall and put them on a coach back to the hotel.

Some limits apply. Online check-in is not available for Al Qassim departures, the flights are point to point with no connections, and Business passengers cannot book the chauffeur service to or from Al Qassim. Missing the coach does not count as a no-show, the airline says, as long as the passenger makes the flight.

Eligible Business guests get access to a private terminal at Al Qassim, with fast-track security and an airside transfer to the aircraft.

Which Riyadh Air routes are left out

Riyadh Air’s cancellation list for October 24 shows how much of the network is still grounded. Besides the six routes moving north, it lists Dubai, Manchester, Mumbai, Manila, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur flights, none of which is part of the Al Qassim plan.

Passengers booked to or from London Heathrow, Cairo, Islamabad, Lahore, Dhaka or Jeddah may rebook to or from Al Qassim for travel up to November 7. Guests booked to travel up to November 7 can also rebook free onto other Riyadh Air flights for travel through November 30, and a full refund is available when an unused sector falls on or before November 7.

This is not the airline’s first use of the airport. Aerospace Global News reported one-off flights from London Heathrow, Madrid and Bangkok into Al Qassim on October 22, with a free bus to Riyadh, and said Saudia was also routing Riyadh passengers through Al Qassim by road.

Why Riyadh Air cannot use its own hub

King Khalid International has been closed or heavily restricted since the attacks of October 10. Riyadh Air’s travel update still opens with the line that its flights are canceled “following the closure of King Khalid International Airport.”

The picture at the airport is mixed. The US Mission to Saudi Arabia said on October 21 that operations there “remain suspended,” while the Associated Press, citing FlightAware data, reported the same day that Saudia and flynas were operating a limited number of flights.

Aircraft still need prior permission from Saudi Arabia’s aviation authority to use the airport, under a notice that took effect on October 17, Aerospace Global News reported. The same report lists Lufthansa out of Riyadh until November 18 and Cathay Pacific until the end of January 2027. The permission rule followed the closure notice ending without a reopening date.

Riyadh Air had already moved its fleet away. On October 13, three of its 787s flew out of Riyadh within 24 minutes while the airport was shut.

What the move means for travelers

Al Qassim’s Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz International Airport sits near Buraydah, roughly 233 miles (375 km) from Riyadh by road. Turning that distance into a coach ride adds hours to every trip.

Put Riyadh Air’s own timings together and a London passenger leaving from Riyadh has to be at the hotel desk at least 6 hours 30 minutes before the scheduled departure, then still has the flight itself ahead.

The Jeddah route shows the cost most clearly. A domestic hop that would normally start at Riyadh’s airport now begins with a 4.5-hour coach ride to a different city.

For a young airline, the choice of routes is telling. The six cities kept are London, Cairo, Jeddah and three in Pakistan and Bangladesh, while Dubai, Mumbai, Manila, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur wait.

Riyadh Air has not said how long the Al Qassim arrangement will last. Its notice says the flights operate there “until further notice,” and passengers are told to check their booking for the confirmed airport.