“Financial Times”: Oil giants’ chief executives pull out of Riyadh energy conference

LONDON, Oct. 12 (YPA) – Top executives from the world’s leading oil and gas companies have canceled their in-person participation in a major energy conference in the Saudi capital, citing security concerns and air travel disruptions following military operations targeting King Khalid International Airport, according to the “Financial Times” newspaper.

The British newspaper reported on Monday that security apprehensions and flight suspensions prompted high-ranking officials from major energy corporations—including ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, Shell, and BP—to scrap travel plans to Riyadh, amid ongoing travel advisories issued by foreign embassies for their nationals.

According to the report, the four chief executives were originally scheduled to attend the World Petroleum Council conference before deciding against physical attendance. The decisions follow severe flight disruptions triggered by military actions affecting the capital’s international airport.

A spokesperson for BP stated that the company had explored avenues to participate, but ultimately could not attend in person due to travel disruptions. The other corporations have not yet issued parallel statements regarding their decisions.

Meanwhile, flight tracking data from Flightradar24 indicated a complete halt to air traffic at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam for several hours, coinciding with the continued closure of Riyadh’s King Khalid airport for the second consecutive day.

YPA