JEDDAH, 25 January — The Presidency of Civil Aviation has asked foreign airline companies to stop transporting passengers from Saudi cities to airports in Bahrain and other neighboring countries by road to be flown out from there.
The move follows complaints that several foreign airline companies have been luring large number of passengers from Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport to airports in Bahrain. The presidency considers this a violation of the Kingdom’s civil aviation regulations.
In a letter sent to all airline offices in the region, Ali Al-Khalaf, head of the Presidency of Civil Aviation, called on the airline companies to stop the practice of transporting passengers along the King Fahd Causeway to Bahrain airport to be flown from there to various international destinations.
"We have noticed that some foreign airlines in the Eastern Province are completing travel formalities of their passengers traveling to international destinations at offices, set up in some local hotels. The offices check in luggage and issue boarding passes and then take the passengers by road to airports in neighboring countries. This is tantamount to violating civil aviation regulations in the country," the letter said.
In addition to diverting passengers from the King Fahd International Airport, the practice entails security risks, the letter warned. "Therefore all airline companies should end such practices and strictly follow the rules. The presidency, with the help of concerned agencies, will monitor the situation and will hold the airline companies responsible for any violation," the letter said.
According to press reports, Qatari and Kuwaiti airlines have started taking passengers from Ahsa and Al-Khafji regions to Doha and Kuwait airports by special coaches after issuing them with boarding passes in the Kingdom.
Officials of the Gulf airline companies strongly reacted to the PCA move. By preventing them from taking passengers along the King Fahd Causeway to Bahrain airport and at the same time not allowing them to operate more flights from Dammam, the PCA was restricting the passengers’ freedom of choice, the airline officials said.
They alleged that the authorities are thus compelling passengers to travel from the King Fahd Airport, which does not offer direct links to many international destinations.
The British Airways, meanwhile, decided to stop its services to the King Fahd International Airport effective from March 31 until further notice. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will also suspend its three weekly flights from Dammam to Muscat.
BA’s decision to suspend services to Dammam was attributed to falling revenue in the sector after airports in Bahrain and other Gulf states started offering cheaper fare and better services.
BA and KLM officials held a series of meetings recently to discuss business strategy in the Gulf sector.
Industry sources said the decisions to suspend flights were the result of an understanding reached at the meetings.
