Recent History and Commercialization
Through the 1950s, the Dhahran airfield began to emerge as a commercial transportation hub, as the nearby Dammam oil fields increased the overall economic viability of the area. Additionally, Trans World Airlines began using Dhahran as a hub for increasing transport to and from Asia and Europe.
The Dhahran airfield, and the emerging support facilities, became the Dhahran International Airport in 1961.
The United States finally abandoned its claims to the Dhahran airfield in 1962.
Dhahran served a significant role in the 1994 evacuation of U.S. citizens and personnel from Yemen, when that country slid into civil war. Also, in 1996 after the bombing of the Khobar Towers, in Operation Desert Focus, in which over 6,000 U.S. citizens and personnel were relocated within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Dhahran airfield continued to serve as the Eastern Provinces commercial and military air hub until the completion, in 1999, of the King Fahd International Airport near Dammam.
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