Two Turkish Airlines flights and an AJet aircraft bound for Riyadh returned to Turkey overnight after reports of attacks on airports in Saudi Arabia.
Istanbul Airport told RIA Novosti that Turkish Airlines flights TK246 and TK140 returned to Istanbul. TK246 departed at 9:59 p.m., turned back 35 minutes later and landed at 11:20 p.m. Moscow time. The airport did not give a reason for the turnback or say when the flight would depart again.
TK140 took off at 8:43 p.m. and reversed course about two hours later while over northern Saudi Arabia. It was expected to land in Istanbul at 2 a.m. AJet flight VF213 departed Sabiha Gökçen Airport at 9:47 p.m., turned around about 50 minutes later and landed at around 12:10 a.m.
Pegasus delayed a flight scheduled for 12:25 a.m. until 5:15 a.m. A Saudi carrier, flynas, continued its flight from Istanbul to Riyadh and landed on schedule at 12:40 a.m.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation had earlier reported three deaths and 36 people injured in attacks on airports in Abha and Riyadh over two days. Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, said it had attacked the airports and warned airlines about flying over Saudi Arabia, except for Mecca and Medina.