JEDDAH, 24 August 2003 — The suspension of British Airways (BA) flights to Saudi Arabia and the UK is to continue “for some time,” a BA official told Arab News yesterday.
“The situation is under continuous review at the ministerial level,” said Chris Phipps, country commercial manager for BA.
“By the end of the month, we will be in a position to make decisions based on updated information. The current status is that flights are canceled up to and including Aug. 28.”
BA decided to cancel flights in line with strict company guidelines on safety, unlike the earlier cancellation of flights into Nairobi which were suspended by the British government.
The decision to cancel the heavily-booked flights into Saudi Arabia was based on information received from Saudi intelligence sources. The decision to continue the ban comes on the heels of heightened tension in the Kingdom following the Riyadh suicide bombings on May 12, which killed 26 bystanders and nine of the attackers, and subsequent shootouts between suspected militants and police.
It was in the aftermath of these incidents that evidence of terrorist intent to focus action on “British interests” was discovered and linked to King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
“We have had outstanding cooperation from the Saudi authorities and we took the decision based on what we perceived as a credible threat,” Phipps said.
BA staff in Jeddah worked nine days without a break, he said, to try and accommodate the hundreds of passengers inconvenienced and tons of air freight stranded as a result of the cancellation.
“We have contingency plans for this kind of situation,” said Phipps, “but the staff really put their backs into it and everything that could be done was done.”
The Presidency for Civil Aviation and the UK government are working closely together as the peak season for travel to the Kingdom approaches, and there is agreement that the security and safety of the traveling public is the top priority, Phipps said.
“Expats returning after the summer break and the build-up of Haj passengers are putting extra pressure on routes to the Kingdom,” Phipps explained.
BA is directing passengers to alternate routes and airlines and refunding fares when this is requested.
Saudi Arabian Airlines has taken a substantial number of bookings and scheduled extra flights out of Riyadh to cope with the demand.
