RIYADH, 2 November — Saudi Arabian Airlines has denied a charge by the US customs authorities that the airline does not cooperate with its program of obtaining advance information about US-bound passengers.
An airline official said in a statement that the passenger manifest of all Saudia flights heading for American destinations were placed on an online system and can be accessed at all Saudia stations in the US. The list can be supplied to the US officials on demand, the official said.
"Saudi Arabian Airlines complies with all the US regulations. The reports of the airlines’ refusal to provide advanced information about passengers are incorrect," the official said.
The US Customs, in cooperation with the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the airline industry, initiated development of the Advance Passenger Information System in 1988 to collect biographical information such as name, date of birth, country of residence from air passengers prior to departure for the US from foreign locations.
The Saudia official pointed out that the US Customs had sent a note to Saudia on July 15 asking it to join APIS. The customs service also urged the airline to install the expensive online system.
The participation in APIS, however, is voluntary. A total of 94 major air carriers flying into the US participate in APIS, according to a statement of the US Customs Service.
Air carriers participating in the program submit passenger data at the same time that the plane departs for the US prior to a plane’s arrival. The APIS data is checked against the combined federal law enforcement database, known as the Interagency Border Inspection System.
Saudi Arabian Airlines resumed flights to the United States in the first week of October after meeting all security requirements asked by the US Federal Aviation Administration.
The airline operates four flights weekly from to New York and Washington.
