Organizers of the World Petroleum Congress and the Future Investment Initiative say both events will proceed with tighter security after Houthi missile strikes killed people at Riyadh’s main airport this week.
Saudi conferences planned for this month will go ahead as scheduled, organizers said on Saturday, after missile strikes on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport killed people and left a passenger jet heavily damaged this week, according to Reuters.
The World Petroleum Congress will run from Sunday to Thursday with foreign leaders and ministers attending, Reuters reported, citing an email sent to delegates. The Future Investment Initiative, launched a decade ago by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the kingdom’s flagship investment gathering, will take place from October 26 to 29, Reuters said.
Organisers Hold Firm on the World Petroleum Congress
Arab News reported before the attacks that more than 25,000 delegates were expected, including 100 energy ministers and 500 chief executives. It said a ministerial gala dinner on October 11 would open the week, followed by the official inauguration on October 12.
Reuters reported that Italian Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said on Friday he would not fly to Riyadh for the International Energy Forum Ministerial Meeting, an event on the congress sidelines. He will join by video link instead. Reuters added that JPMorgan chief executive Jamie Dimon and Citi chief executive Jane Fraser were on the list of expected attendees.
Riyadh Airport Attack: Casualties and Damage
Reuters said the missile attacks on the airport this week left four people dead. Al Jazeera reported that Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said Thursday’s Houthi attacks killed an airline pilot and two other Saudi citizens, while several people of different nationalities were wounded. Saudia named the pilot as Captain Hamoud Ali Alkalthami.
Earlier in the week, the same authority said strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday killed three civilians and injured 36 at the airports in Abha and Riyadh, Al Jazeera reported. Two women, one Moroccan and one Algerian, died at Abha, where 28 people were hurt. A Sudanese citizen died at King Khalid, where eight were injured.
Reuters, citing three people briefed on the matter, said shrapnel from an interception or another projectile left a Saudia aircraft heavily damaged by fire while it was parked at a terminal. Saudi state media said debris from an intercepted missile also damaged a kindergarten and a medical clinic complex in the capital, Reuters reported.
Is It Safe to Travel to Riyadh for the Saudi Conferences?
After the Riyadh airport attack, the United Kingdom, France and Germany told their citizens to avoid the city. A report published by bdnews24 said the delegate email promised comprehensive security at Riyadh’s airports, conference venues and official hotels, with coordinated transport for participants. The message told visitors, “Your comfort is our priority,” and listed alternative routes, including a four hour drive from Dammam on the eastern coast.
Flight Disruption Affects Travel to Riyadh
Reuters reported widespread flight disruption, with travellers using land routes or indirect flights. Lufthansa has suspended Riyadh flights through October 16, while Etihad Airways and Flydubai cancelled Saturday services to and from the capital, Reuters said. Air India also suspended flights.
Aviation data firm Cirium found that almost half of departures from Riyadh were cancelled by 1500 GMT on Thursday. Al Jazeera reported that Saudi media said airport operations have since resumed and air traffic has returned to normal.
Houthi Attacks and the Wider Conflict
The Houthis declared Saudi airspace a zone of military operations after Yemen’s government, which Saudi Arabia backs, launched an offensive against the group earlier this month, Reuters reported. Al Jazeera said a Houthi military spokesperson claimed a ballistic missile hit its intended target at King Khalid on Thursday.
The kingdom has been attacked dozens of times in recent weeks, and that both the World Petroleum Congress and the Future Investment Initiative are being held while the conflict continues. Saudi Arabia has answered the Houthi attacks with strikes on missile launcher sites and says it has intercepted many ballistic missiles, according to Reuters.
The South China Morning Post reported that the United Nations says more than 200,000 people have been displaced inside Yemen since the civil war reignited in July.