RIYADH, 4 January 2004 — Interior Minister Prince Naif yesterday downplayed security concerns that prompted British Airways to cancel its Riyadh-London-Riyadh flight, saying the Kingdom had not been informed about security threats.
“Although the channels... between (BA) and us are open, they did not tell us about anything related to planes,” he said when asked whether he had information on terrorist attacks on specific planes or flights.
“This concerns them only and they know their own affairs better,” the minister said. British Airways yesterday canceled the flight, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at both ends.
“The London-bound Flight BA262 was canceled because of the suspension of its incoming BA Flight 263 from London to Riyadh, which was due to take off from Heathrow Airport for Riyadh Saturday,” said Chris Phipps, country manager for British Airways.
Phipps said BA grounded flights on the Riyadh-London-Riyadh sector because of security concerns.
“We are closely working with the British government, and BA also appreciates the high security standards of the Saudi government agencies, which is evident from a fool-proof security system currently in place at the Kingdom’s international airports,” he said.
The sudden cancellation left hundreds of passengers stranded in Riyadh and London, airline industry sources said. It was not immediately known how many were affected.
Hussein Al-Athel, secretary-general of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), saw no justification for suspending BA flights on the Riyadh-London sector. “The situation is normal these days; eventually it is BA which will be the loser,” he said.
On Wednesday, the UK government advised the airline not to operate the flight for security reasons. BA had said that it would decide at the weekend whether to operate Monday’s flight, originating from London for Riyadh.
“A government team, led by the Department for Transport, is working closely with the Saudi authorities,” a BA statement issued in London said.
