JEDDAH, 16 September — A Saudi Arabian Airlines flight, which had been stranded in New York since Tuesday’s terrorist attacks, arrived at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport yesterday evening. Aviation sources said the airline flew back around 200 passengers — most of them originally booked for the flight.
Hassan Abdullah, an Indian who arrived by the flight, told Arab News: “The flight took off from John F. Kennedy Airport around 10.30 a.m. Friday and landed at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah around 5.30 p.m. Saturday.”
Abdullah, who heads a number of non-governmental organizations in India, was in New York to attend a three-day UN conference on NGOs that began on Monday. “The next morning we were inside the UN building when we could see from its floors what people worldwide were watching on TV screens,” he said.
Meanwhile, travel agencies reported that expatriates, especially Westerners, had been canceling their bookings even for non-US destinations. “Business is at a standstill at the moment. There are no bookings for the near future for Western destinations. On the contrary, there are new cancellations every day,” a leading travel agent said.
“What’s astonishing is that bookings made for Kenya, Mediterranean cruise and other holiday destinations are also being canceled,” he added.
