São Paulo – The King Abdulaziz International Airport, in Jeddah, became busy again on Tuesday (18), after the resume of international travel for Saudis by the local government on Monday (17). Departures abroad had been suspended more than a year ago as a preventive measure against the spread of the new coronavirus.
According to information on the website of the Saudi newspaper Arab News, the air, land, and sea arrivals and departures of Saudi citizens vaccinated against COVID-19 or recovered from the disease resumed on Monday. Despite the movement, the airport operated with a well-organized and smooth flow of traffic, with entrance restricted to those who had tickets or traveling companions.
Saudi Arabia has specified rules for travelers, such as the need for health insurance for certain age groups and the use of a tracking application for disease control. According to Arab News, the conditions must be followed regardless of the reason for traveling, be it leisure, study, work, or medical treatment.
On Monday, 385 international flights took off from nine Saudi airports, including 225 departures from Riyadh, 75 from Jeddah, 66 from Dammam, and 19 from other locations. Also, 300 vehicles crossed the border into Qatar earlier that day. The movement of Saudis into Bahrain caused major congestion. The neighboring nation is an archipelago, but there is a bridge connecting the two countries.
Saudi national airline Saudia has resumed flights to 43 destinations in 30 countries. Saudia stated it will operate 178 scheduled flights a week from Jeddah. The company’s director-general, Ibrahim Al-Omar, said that Saudia has implemented more than 50 precautionary measures at all stages of the flight process and has been ranked among the top ten safest airlines in the world by the Airline Passenger Experience Association.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
