Relief for stranded travelers as Saudi Arabia reopens airspace

RIYADH: The news that Saudi Arabia has reopened sea, land and air routes on Sunday came as a huge relief to Saudi and expat travelers stranded abroad. The ban had been imposed in the wake of reports about a variant strain of the coronavirus in December.
Travel agents in the Kingdom welcomed the decision as their business has been badly hit by the pandemic.
Akhtarul Islam Siddiqui, an Indian expatriate stranded in Dubai, told Arab News: “I am very grateful to the Saudi government for lifting the travel ban. The news came as a huge relief to me. I, along with two of my daughters, have been stranded in Dubai for about a month.”
“After 15-days of mandatory quarantine, we had our flight from Dubai to Riyadh the day the ban was announced following the discovery of a new mutant strain of the coronavirus in the UK and elsewhere,” he said.
“However, it was a wise decision taken to protect citizens and expatriates in the Kingdom from the new strain. Thankfully, we have a flight for Riyadh on Tuesday and are happy to travel back to our second home,” said Siddiqui.
Many expatriates stranded in Dubai and Sharjah are contacting their airlines or going to travel agents and booking seats back to the Kingdom, he added.
Rashid Siddiqui, a travel agent who works with Altayyar Travels in Riyadh, told Arab News that with the reopening of Saudi airspace travel agencies are back in business.
He said that expatriates are mostly coming from Dubai, where they had been stranded by the ban.
“Those who come to Saudi Arabia via Dubai are mostly Asian expatriates from countries such as India and Sri Lanka,” he said. Indian and Sri Lankan passengers come via the UAE because there are no direct flights from those countries, he explained.
“Ticket prices are higher because of limited flight operations and a heavy rush in the first week,” he said, adding that many people are booking tickets for the following week when the prices are likely to be lower.
Azim Aslam Faridi, a travel adviser in Riyadh, said: “As the GACA announced the resumption of international flights, people residing in Saudi Arabia have started planning their vacations.
 “However, due to high demand and limited flight operations fares are high, so many people are hesitant unless tickets are provided by their companies,” he added.
There are some restrictions on people coming from countries where the new variant has been reported. They have to stay at least 14 days outside those countries and take a PCR test before entering the Kingdom.
Cases of the new variant, which was first detected in the UK, have been reported in European countries including France, Sweden, and Spain, as well as in South Africa, Jordan, Canada, India and Japan.