Riyadh Energy Conference to Proceed as Planned After Attack Kills 12
Key Facts
Organizers of the World Energy Congress in Riyadh said the conference would proceed as planned despite an attack on the capital's airport that killed 12 people and injured 309, The National reported on 11 October 2026. The newspaper quoted organizers as confirming that conference events "will proceed as scheduled," amid security concerns and disruption to travel to the Saudi capital. Organizers set the conference dates as 11 to 15 October 2026, according to their announcement. The Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Center was selected as the venue, according to the previously announced conference program. The conference coincides with the International Energy Forum ministerial meeting as part of Riyadh Energy Week.
Saudi civil aviation authorities announced on Saturday that operations at King Khalid Airport had been suspended, according to the Associated Press, citing the authorities. About 260 flights were canceled on Saturday, according to flight-tracking data from Flightradar cited by The National. Another 219 flights were delayed that day, 10 October, as travel to the city hosting the energy events was disrupted. As part of conference arrival arrangements, organizers directed delegations to alternative routes to Riyadh, the newspaper reported, citing the organizers. The guidance included travel by road from Dammam to the Saudi capital, as arrangements to receive participants coincided with the disruption to flights at the airport.
The Associated Press quoted a regional official as saying the missile struck a complex within King Khalid Airport housing domestic terminals 3 and 4. The latest attack was preceded by two attacks on the same airport during the week, according to The National's coverage published on 11 October. The earlier attacks killed 4 people, the newspaper said, before the latest attack coincided with the conference's scheduled start in Riyadh. Airlines had suspended flights to the Saudi capital and other airports in the kingdom for varying periods before the latest attack, according to the Associated Press. The carriers that took those measures included Air India, flydubai and Lufthansa Group, as well as Pakistan International Airlines.
Regarding the International Energy Forum ministerial meeting, a spokeswoman for Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry said in remarks reported by The National that "the ministerial plenary session will be held behind closed doors." Saudi Arabia is hosting the meeting with Italy and Nigeria as co-hosts, according to the newspaper, alongside the energy conference in the capital. Italian Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said on Friday that he would attend the forum meeting by video link, the newspaper reported. The Italian minister's decision to participate remotely rather than travel to Riyadh was announced before Saturday's attack on the airport. His participation is part of the ministerial meeting his country is co-hosting, while the Saudi spokeswoman's statement addressed arrangements for media attendance at the plenary session.
Before the conference, organizers expected to welcome more than 25,000 participants, according to figures they published in their preview of the event. Announced participation forecasts included 100 energy ministers among the delegations expected in Riyadh, alongside the ministerial events listed in the program. Organizers also expected 500 chief executives to attend, in addition to the ministers, as part of the total number of participants scheduled to be received at the conference. The program listed more than 30 plenary, strategic and ministerial sessions, according to the organizers' preview published before the events began. The announced conference proceedings are spread across these sessions, with government officials and company chiefs expected to participate, according to the attendance and program details organizers announced in advance.
On the ministerial agenda, the Saudi Press Agency identified energy security among the topics scheduled for discussion at the International Energy Forum ministerial meeting. In its advance announcement, the agency also listed market stability on the agenda for the meeting hosted by the kingdom with Italy and Nigeria as co-hosts. Discussions include investment, according to the Saudi announcement, alongside energy security and market stability at the forum taking place alongside the conference. These topics form part of the ministerial meeting's agenda, while the broader conference program includes the plenary, strategic and ministerial sessions announced by the organizer. According to the announced conference program, the official opening was scheduled for 12 October at the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Center, which was selected to host the event.