Citizens and residents in Rafha had been facing a lot of problems in the past three years due to non-availability of flights, especially after the private airline Nas stopped flying to the city. Patients found its difficult to reach hospitals in Riyadh. Rafha Hospital transfers about 40 patients daily to Riyadh hospitals.

Yasin Al-Allawi, ex-member of the regional council, said the cancelation of flights had affected the lives of 120,000 people in Rafha. “It isolated them from the rest of the Kingdom,” he added. Yousuf Al-Shammary, a patient, hoped the resumption of flights would end his suffering.