Houthi missiles threaten to bring down Saudi Arabia's vision

Houthi attacks on Riyadh threaten Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030. King Khalid International Airport is closed until October 17, schools have moved to remote learning, and a football match was postponed due to a warning. The flight cancellation rate reached 46.4%. Foreign direct investment in 2025 stood at only $33 billion, a third of the annual target. Senior energy company executives were removed from the WPC conference in Riyadh. Major Vision 2030 projects, including The Line in Neom, are losing priority.

Houthi attacks on Riyadh threaten Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030. King Khalid International Airport, the second busiest in the kingdom, will remain closed until at least October 17 for inspections. The flight cancellation rate across all Saudi airports reached 46.4%, and international airlines such as Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, Etihad, and Qatar Airways have canceled or suspended routes. Delta delayed the launch of its Atlanta-Riyadh route to March 2027. Schools in Riyadh have moved to remote learning, and Al-Nassr's match against Neftchi Fergana in the Asian Champions League was delayed by an hour due to a safety warning. Foreign direct investment in 2025 totaled only $33 billion, a third of the annual target of $100 billion. Senior executives from major energy companies, including representatives from ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, BP, and TotalEnergies, were removed from the program of the WPC energy conference in Riyadh. The Saudi economy has been in a current account deficit since 2024 and expects a budget deficit of 4.9% of GDP. Major Vision 2030 projects are losing priority: The Line in Neom is not at the top of the agenda, the plan for a raised stadium for the 2034 World Cup has been frozen, and work on the Mukaab skyscraper in Riyadh has been halted.