Saudia Airlines reroutes Riyadh passengers to their destinations via Jeddah
Collected Photo
Authorities have kept Saudi Arabia’s most important airport, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, closed until October 31 following attacks by Yemen’s Houthi group. In this situation, Saudia Airlines is transporting passengers stranded on the Dhaka to Riyadh route to Jeddah Airport instead of Riyadh.
Earlier, the airline operated flights via Jeddah or Dammam from October 11 to help Riyadh bound passengers reach their destinations safely. Since October 20, the airline has been operating one additional regular flight on the Dhaka to Jeddah route. This arrangement may continue until Riyadh Airport reopens.
Saudia Airlines operates 14 flights a week, or two flights a day, on the Dhaka to Jeddah route. It previously operated nine flights a week on the Dhaka to Riyadh route. Those flights are now operating to Jeddah instead of Riyadh. This means more than three flights a day are now operating on average between Dhaka and Jeddah.
When passenger demand is high, the airline is also using larger aircraft to transport passengers. However, passengers do not have to pay any additional charges because of the route changes. They can travel on their scheduled dates.
To manage passenger demand, Saudia Airlines has kept its two offices in Dhaka open during the Durga Puja holidays. As a result, passengers are receiving uninterrupted service. Since there are no additional charges, passengers can also receive services without visiting the offices in person.
Passenger Rashidul Alam said, “I can travel to Jeddah on the scheduled date of my Riyadh flight. As a result, the risk of my visa expiring is no longer an issue.”
The Saudi government has decided to keep Riyadh Airport closed until October 31. As a result, passengers traveling to Riyadh have been stranded in Bangladesh. Passengers are gathering at local airline offices every day to confirm their tickets.
Saudia Airlines, Saudi Arabia’s national carrier, operates the largest number of flights from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia. The airline operates direct flights from Dhaka to Riyadh, Jeddah and Medina. It has the capacity to carry nearly 11,000 passengers a week on 27 flights.
Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, general manager of business support at Saudia Airlines, said, “Since October 20, we have been operating one additional daily flight to Jeddah for Riyadh passengers. We have been able to manage the passenger demand quite well. Among passengers traveling to Riyadh, we are giving priority to those whose visas are about to expire and putting them on Jeddah bound flights. As a result, migrant workers are quite happy.”
He said, “After October 10, we also arranged hotel accommodation and meals for the large number of passengers stranded in Riyadh who were scheduled to return to Dhaka. We then brought them safely back to the country. Since there is no ticket change fee, passengers do not have to visit the airline office twice. We take their phone numbers during their first visit and provide services over the phone afterward.”
Following the attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on October 10, a total of 126 direct and transit flights from Dhaka to Saudi Arabia had been canceled or suspended as of October 21. More than 19,000 passengers have been stranded as a result, facing severe uncertainty and hardship.
