“An additional few hundred are expected to be flown within a day or two,” said Waleed Al-Olumi, a spokesman for Saudi Arabian Airlines, which alone has operated 62 flights to evacuate Saudi citizens from different Egyptian cities so far.

Al-Olumi said that “the rescue flights carrying Saudi nationals were landing on five airports — Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Madinah and Abha — on a round-the-clock basis." About 700,000 Saudi nationals, including businessmen and tourists, were believed to be in Egypt when the civil unrest started, prompting officials to chalk out a massive plan for their safe return.

However, many Saudis are still opting to remain in Egypt and watch the situation unfold before deciding to return. These individuals include businessmen who have invested in the country, mainly in the real estate, tourism and industry. A total of 85 flights “airlifted 22,000 people,” said Ibrahim bin Hamad Al-Hamid, an official in the Saudi Embassy in Cairo.

Al-Hamid said in a press statement that the flight frequencies were increased to accommodate as many Saudi evacuees as possible following instructions from the Saudi government. He said that the Saudi Embassy in Cairo had been reinforced to cope with workload, while its consular section is fully geared to help Saudis in distress. He said that eight extra flights were being operated on a daily basis besides the regular flights.

Referring to stranded Saudi nationals who were rescued free of charge by the national carrier, Al-Olumi said that Saudia had been able to operate 49 flights from Cairo, where the number of Saudi returnees have been growing during the past few days. It also flew 11 rescue flights from Alexandria and two from Sharm El-Sheikh.

Asked about chaotic conditions and shortage of passport officials at Cairo airport, Nabil Bakr Omara, a spokesman for the Egyptian Embassy in Riyadh, said that "Saudi nationals have no problems as such."

According to one estimate, some 500,000 Saudis live in Egypt permanently, and about 400,000 Saudi tourists visit Egypt each year. The Saudi Embassy in Egypt has announced that Saudis seeking help from the embassy or planning to return home can call 00202-3749-0775 or 3762-5000. Saudi students can contact the cultural attaché at the embassy on 00202-3336-0612.