Saudi Arabia’s efforts to keep a major international energy conference accessible despite attacks on Riyadh’s airport have encountered another security complication, after a projectile landed near Dammam, a city identified by organizers as an alternative arrival point for delegates.
The incident near King Fahd International Airport came on Saturday, the same day an attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport killed 12 people and injured 309, according to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation.
The Saudi-led military coalition confirmed the Dammam incident but provided no information about the projectile’s origin, casualties, or damage.
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Organizers of the 25th WPC Energy Congress had informed delegates that they could reach Riyadh through alternative routes, including arriving in Dammam and completing a roughly four-hour journey by road, Reuters reported.
The arrangement was intended to maintain access to the capital as airlines suspended services following repeated attacks on its airport.
However, the subsequent projectile near Dammam introduced uncertainty around an alternative that had been presented to international participants.
There has been no verified announcement that the Dammam route has been withdrawn, that its airport sustained damage, or that conference delegates were directly affected.
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The World Petroleum Congress is scheduled for October 11–15, with its main exhibition and conference programming beginning October 12. Organizers expect more than 25,000 participants, including ministers, energy executives, policymakers, and industry specialists.
Its venue, the Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Center, is located approximately 15 minutes from King Khalid International Airport, according to the event’s official website.
Conference organizers have maintained that the gathering will proceed. However, some international participation has already been affected. Italian Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said Friday that he would attend the International Energy Forum ministerial meeting virtually rather than travel to Riyadh, Reuters reported.
Lufthansa has suspended Riyadh services through October 16, while Etihad Airways and Flydubai cancelled flights scheduled for October 10.
The disruption comes ahead of another major Saudi gathering, the Future Investment Initiative, scheduled for October 26–29.
Organizers have said that conference will also proceed, with security arrangements covering airports, conference venues, hotels, and transportation.
The kingdom’s decision to maintain both events places additional importance on protecting access routes for international participants.
Saudi Arabia has spent years positioning Riyadh as a destination for global energy and investment conferences, making reliable aviation connections central to its broader economic ambitions.
The October 10 attack has exposed those connections to a growing security challenge.
The Saudi-led coalition has blamed Yemen’s Houthi movement for the Riyadh strike. The Houthis had claimed responsibility for earlier attacks on the airport, but responsibility for the latest attack had not been independently established in the reporting reviewed.
