CAIRO (REUTERS): Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) today (Sunday) has announced that non-Saudis could now leave the kingdom after all international commercial flights were halted last week.
The country’s aviation authority directed airlines operating in the airports of the Kingdom to transport non-Saudi passengers outside the Kingdom, and that is in total compliance with the precautionary measures to prevent COVID-19.
GACA has given permission to foreign airlines to operate charter flights for this purpose on the condition that the crew of a landing plane at the Kingdom’s airports do not leave their plane, and that they do not physically have contact with the ground/operation staff of the arrival airport.
Last week, the Kingdom closed its borders and suspended commercial flights over fears about a new coronavirus variant, which was detected in the United Kingdom. Following the order by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) canceled all flights to the kingdom.
PIA spokesperson Abdullah Khan informed that all flights will be canceled until flight permits are restored, adding that the affected passengers will be accommodated on flights as soon as they are resumed.
