King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, began receiving flights again on Sunday after being closed last week. The situation has a direct impact on WWE‘s plans for Crown Jewel, scheduled for Nov. 7 in the city.
However, according to aviation notices, the airport can only handle arrivals and departures with prior authorization from Saudi authorities. In addition, the airport also cannot be used as an alternative for flights diverted from other airports.
According to The National, several airlines still have their flights suspended despite the reopening. Lufthansa canceled services to Riyadh until Nov. 18, after the scheduled date for Crown Jewel. KLM, on the other hand, extended the suspension until Oct. 31, while British Airways intends to return with limited service on Nov. 3.
FlightStats shows 113 arrival records for Sunday, including flights from different airlines that share the same operation.
In other words, that number does not necessarily represent the number of planes that actually landed.
Flightera, meanwhile, lists flight PK753 from Islamabad as completed. Flightradar24, however, shows only an estimated arrival for the same flight, without recording a landing.
As previously reported, WWE still has Riyadh as the planned host city for Crown Jewel, despite the attacks on the airport. However, WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select revealed that WWE already has a backup arena in the United States in case it needs to change the show’s venue.