Saudi flights suspended for another week

Saudi Arabia yesterday extended suspension of all international flights to the kingdom for another week, adding to the worries of more than 5,000 migrant workers in Bangladesh about their return to that country.

The Saudi government, however, said foreign citizens would be able to leave the kingdom by air.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of that country made the fresh announcement amid reports of detection of a new mutated strain of the novel coronavirus in the UK.

In an urgent circular, GACA said foreign airlines are permitted to carry non-Saudi passengers out of the kingdom, taking precautionary measures to prevent the spread of Covid. But they must not allow their crew to leave aircraft.

Earlier on December 21, Saudia, the national flag carrier of the kingdom, suspended all international flights including the ones to and from Dhaka, creating fresh uncertainty over the return of Bangladeshi workers to their workplaces there.

Following the Saudi authorities' decision, Biman Bangladesh Airlines also suspended its flights to and from Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam that day.

Prior to the suspension, Biman operated seven flights and Saudia 10 flights a week from Dhaka to the kingdom.

Around 55,000 Saudi-bound Bangladeshi workers remained stranded for over six months since March when air travel between the two countries was suspended due to the pandemic.

Almost all of them managed to fly back to the kingdom after resumption of air travel in August, a Saudia official told this newspaper, seeking anonymity.

The fresh suspension of flights might again create uncertainty over the return of over 5,000 Bangladeshi workers to Saudi Arabia, added the official.