RIYADH, 14 March 2003 — Passenger traffic from the Kingdom has dropped by 50 percent to some destinations, according to Nasser Al-Tayyar, general manager of Al-Tayyar Group for Travel and Tourism.
“This is the time for commercial exhibitions, shopping and business meetings. But all of them have been postponed because of the war clouds,” Al-Tayyar told Asharq Al-Awsat, a sister publication of Arab News.
He said many businessmen and prominent personalities have postponed their foreign travels.
“International flights will suffer more than domestic flights because of the present situation,” he added.
Al-Tayyar said he expected Riyadh airport to remain open during the coming war. It closed during the last Gulf War. Doha airport in Qatar, by contrast, is likely to close but remained open in 1991.
He said international airlines were not officially told of measures taken to counter the fallout of a US-led war on Iraq. However, he said the companies were informed verbally that airfares would go up and that there would be changes in airline schedules.
Al-Tayyar said Saudi Arabian Airlines and other companies were studying emergency plans. “Some other airlines such as British Airways have moved their operation centers in the Gulf,” he pointed out.
He said all regional and international tourism and hotel companies would be hurt heavily in the event of war. Al-Tayyar said airline companies had taken greater preparations for the impending war than in 1991.
