GFS Insights - October 2026 Edition
Conflict can disrupt production long before the frontline comes anywhere near it. Changes to airspace, borders, transport networks and travel advice can quickly affect the movement of people and equipment, making regional awareness and contingency planning essential to production continuity.
What we’re seeing
Global conflict remains at historically high levels.
The 2026 Global Peace Index records 61 active state-based conflicts, the highest number since the end of the Second World War. The number of countries involved in at least one external conflict has also risen from 59 in 2008 to 103 in 2026.
For productions, however, the relevant risk is not limited to filming inside an active conflict zone.
Modern conflicts can disrupt neighbouring countries and wider regions through airspace restrictions, transport disruption, border measures, attacks on infrastructure, changing travel advice and pressure on supply chains.
Recent events in the Middle East provide a clear example. Following missile and drone attacks on Riyadh in October 2026, King Khalid International Airport was temporarily closed, major international airlines suspended services and 46.4% of flights across Saudi airports were cancelled.
The conflict itself did not need to reach every destination for disruption to spread across the region.
Why this matters for a production
A production can be hundreds of kilometres from active conflict and still experience significant disruption.
Conflict elsewhere in the region may affect:
- International and domestic flight
- Airspace and flight routing
- Border crossings and visa arrangements
- Freight and equipment movement
- Availability of evacuation route
- Government travel advice
- Insurance and security requirement
- Access to fuel, supplies and local services
Travel advice can change quickly and transport networks can be restricted with little notice. For productions, understanding security at the filming location is only one part of the wider risk picture.
Practical controls
- Maintain regional security monitoring, including developments in neighbouring countries that could affect airspace, borders, transport networks or the wider operating environment
- Identify dependencies on airports, borders, ports and major transport corridors
- Maintain alternative travel and evacuation routes where practical
- Monitor airline operations and government travel advice throughout production
- Consider how regional escalation could affect freight, fuel and essential supplies
- Review security and business-continuity arrangements as conditions change
- Ensure decision-makers have access to timely intelligence when escalation occurs
The frontline may be geographically distant from the production, but the consequences of conflict often are not.
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