BA cancels Saudi Flights
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JEDDAH, 24 August 2003 — The suspension of British Airways (BA) flights to Saudi Arabia and the UK is to continue “for some time,” a BA official told Arab News yesterday.
“The situation is under continuous review at the ministerial level,” said Chris Phipps, country commercial manager for BA.
“By the end of the month, we will be in a position to make decisions based on updated information. The current status is that flights are canceled up to and including Aug. 28.”
BA decided to cancel flights in line with strict company guidelines on safety, unlike the earlier cancellation of flights into Nairobi which were suspended by the British government.
The decision to cancel the heavily-booked flights into Saudi Arabia was based on information received from Saudi intelligence sources. The decision to continue the ban comes on the heels of heightened tension in the Kingdom following the Riyadh suicide bombings on May 12, which killed 26 bystanders and nine of the attackers, and subsequent shootouts between suspected militants and police.
It was in the aftermath of these incidents that evidence of terrorist intent to focus action on “British interests” was discovered and linked to King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
“We have had outstanding cooperation from the Saudi authorities and we took the decision based on what we perceived as a credible threat,” Phipps said.
BA staff in Jeddah worked nine days without a break, he said, to try and accommodate the hundreds of passengers inconvenienced and tons of air freight stranded as a result of the cancellation.
“We have contingency plans for this kind of situation,” said Phipps, “but the staff really put their backs into it and everything that could be done was done.”
The Presidency for Civil Aviation and the UK government are working closely together as the peak season for travel to the Kingdom approaches, and there is agreement that the security and safety of the traveling public is the top priority, Phipps said.
“Expats returning after the summer break and the build-up of Haj passengers are putting extra pressure on routes to the Kingdom,” Phipps explained.
BA is directing passengers to alternate routes and airlines and refunding fares when this is requested.
Saudi Arabian Airlines has taken a substantial number of bookings and scheduled extra flights out of Riyadh to cope with the demand.
“The situation is under continuous review at the ministerial level,” said Chris Phipps, country commercial manager for BA.
“By the end of the month, we will be in a position to make decisions based on updated information. The current status is that flights are canceled up to and including Aug. 28.”
BA decided to cancel flights in line with strict company guidelines on safety, unlike the earlier cancellation of flights into Nairobi which were suspended by the British government.
The decision to cancel the heavily-booked flights into Saudi Arabia was based on information received from Saudi intelligence sources. The decision to continue the ban comes on the heels of heightened tension in the Kingdom following the Riyadh suicide bombings on May 12, which killed 26 bystanders and nine of the attackers, and subsequent shootouts between suspected militants and police.
It was in the aftermath of these incidents that evidence of terrorist intent to focus action on “British interests” was discovered and linked to King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
“We have had outstanding cooperation from the Saudi authorities and we took the decision based on what we perceived as a credible threat,” Phipps said.
BA staff in Jeddah worked nine days without a break, he said, to try and accommodate the hundreds of passengers inconvenienced and tons of air freight stranded as a result of the cancellation.
“We have contingency plans for this kind of situation,” said Phipps, “but the staff really put their backs into it and everything that could be done was done.”
The Presidency for Civil Aviation and the UK government are working closely together as the peak season for travel to the Kingdom approaches, and there is agreement that the security and safety of the traveling public is the top priority, Phipps said.
“Expats returning after the summer break and the build-up of Haj passengers are putting extra pressure on routes to the Kingdom,” Phipps explained.
BA is directing passengers to alternate routes and airlines and refunding fares when this is requested.
Saudi Arabian Airlines has taken a substantial number of bookings and scheduled extra flights out of Riyadh to cope with the demand.
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Why would BA cancel flights into JED an still push for flights into Iraq.
Something does not make sense here.
My ex pat friends tell me that the Saudi national gaurd has been placed at the entry gates of Saudi City to protect the ex pat compound for Saudia employees in JED.
Something must be up.
Something does not make sense here.
My ex pat friends tell me that the Saudi national gaurd has been placed at the entry gates of Saudi City to protect the ex pat compound for Saudia employees in JED.
Something must be up.
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As the terrorists who attacked the compounds in Riyad were in SNG uniforms, were in SNG cars and had SNG arms I'm not sure I would be too reasured by their prescence. All levels of government are completly penetrated by extremists.
Many Arabs I have spoken to believe that the present regime is living on borrowed time and that there will be a revolution of sorts. This may explain why the US was so determined to go into Iraq. KSA does provide about 30% of the West's oil.
Its not the rich boys, its the increasing number of Saudis who live in poverty and who are unemployed. Estimates are that this is over 30%. Light the blue touch paper and stand back...
Many Arabs I have spoken to believe that the present regime is living on borrowed time and that there will be a revolution of sorts. This may explain why the US was so determined to go into Iraq. KSA does provide about 30% of the West's oil.
Its not the rich boys, its the increasing number of Saudis who live in poverty and who are unemployed. Estimates are that this is over 30%. Light the blue touch paper and stand back...
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An update:
Saudis seize 'terror' missiles
Saudi authorities say they have seized a lorry-load of surface-to-air missiles destined for an unnamed terrorist group.
The consignment was intercepted last month on a desert road near the port city of Jeddah.
Police say the weapons - capable of being used to bring down aircraft - had been smuggled from Yemen.
Last month, air travellers from the United States and Britain were alerted to the possibility of attack if they went to Saudi Arabia.
The alerts came after intelligence reports were relayed to Washington and London by the Saudis of a specific threat to British airlines flying in or out of Riyadh international airport.
And British Airways, one of the world's biggest airlines, suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia until further notice.
The airline says it has had good co-operation from the Saudi authorities and hopes to resume flights soon.
The Americans are particularly sensitive to threats in Saudi Arabia following the suicide car bombings on 12 May on residential blocks housing Americans and other foreigners.
More than 30 people were killed and nearly 100 injured in the blasts.
Since then, Saudi authorities have cracked down on Islamist groups with suspected links to Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, arresting scores of suspects.
The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner says the Saudis have been proactive in their efforts, sometimes overreacting.
They find themselves dealing with a lethal cocktail - the country is near Yemen where weapons are easily available and the presence in Saudi Arabia of extremists who are ready to use them against Western targets, our correspondent says.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/mid...st/3079654.stm
Saudis seize 'terror' missiles
Saudi authorities say they have seized a lorry-load of surface-to-air missiles destined for an unnamed terrorist group.
The consignment was intercepted last month on a desert road near the port city of Jeddah.
Police say the weapons - capable of being used to bring down aircraft - had been smuggled from Yemen.
Last month, air travellers from the United States and Britain were alerted to the possibility of attack if they went to Saudi Arabia.
The alerts came after intelligence reports were relayed to Washington and London by the Saudis of a specific threat to British airlines flying in or out of Riyadh international airport.
And British Airways, one of the world's biggest airlines, suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia until further notice.
The airline says it has had good co-operation from the Saudi authorities and hopes to resume flights soon.
The Americans are particularly sensitive to threats in Saudi Arabia following the suicide car bombings on 12 May on residential blocks housing Americans and other foreigners.
More than 30 people were killed and nearly 100 injured in the blasts.
Since then, Saudi authorities have cracked down on Islamist groups with suspected links to Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, arresting scores of suspects.
The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner says the Saudis have been proactive in their efforts, sometimes overreacting.
They find themselves dealing with a lethal cocktail - the country is near Yemen where weapons are easily available and the presence in Saudi Arabia of extremists who are ready to use them against Western targets, our correspondent says.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/mid...st/3079654.stm
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It just gets worse and worse. They found this "truckload" of missiles (how many exactly, I wonder), but how many actually got/get through.
The political situation in Saudi seems worse by the day; unemployment is high, poverty (as was mentioned already) is increasing and there also appears to be a power struggle at the very top, with King Fahed apparently ill.
I can't see BA returning to Saudi anytime soon. Indeed, I can see the whole Saudi situation blowing up in a way which may make the Iranian revolution of '78/79 seem minor . . .
The political situation in Saudi seems worse by the day; unemployment is high, poverty (as was mentioned already) is increasing and there also appears to be a power struggle at the very top, with King Fahed apparently ill.
I can't see BA returning to Saudi anytime soon. Indeed, I can see the whole Saudi situation blowing up in a way which may make the Iranian revolution of '78/79 seem minor . . .
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Sorry Akerosid, but BA didnt listen to you.......
JEDDAH, 5 September 2003 — British Airways intends to resume flights to Saudi Arabia, suspended on Aug. 13 over security concerns, the Saudi Press Agency said yesterday.
Citing a joint statement by the British airliner and the Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority, the report said BA had ascertained that security measures at Saudi airports surpassed even international standards.
“British Airways asked the head of civil aviation (for clearance) to resume flights, and he secured the approval of higher authorities,” it added.
The statement did not say when British Airways would resume flights, suspended after the discovery of what US officials described as a plot by terrorists to attack planes at Riyadh’s main airport.
But sources at BA’s offices in Jeddah said normal service would resume early next week. Interior Minister Prince Naif said at the time of the suspension that the Kingdom had no “specific information” on a plot to attack commercial aircraft at King Khaled International Airport.
As for King Fahds illness, in reality he stopped running the country about 4-5 years ago, his brother Crown Prince Abdullah has the reins of power. The real power struggle will begin after the death of King Fahd.
noisy That BBC report is inaccurate and out of date.
JEDDAH, 5 September 2003 — A high-ranking official at the Ministry of the Interior yesterday denied a report on the BBC English language news website claiming that a consignment of surface-to-air missiles was intercepted last month on a desert road near Jeddah.
Remarkably, the denial was reported by BBC Arabic, the BBC’s Arabic language news site.
The official said the Interior Ministry had announced the seizure of a repair truck containing weapons including rocket-propelled grenades two weeks ago but that it had originated from Qunfudha in Jizan, near the Saudi-Yemeni border, and was intercepted outside Makkah, not on a desert road near Jeddah.
BBC security analyst Frank Garner, when asked whether he was aware that the story had been reported two weeks ago, told Arab News: “I was not aware that the statement was previously reported outside of Saudi Arabia.”
But a spokesman for the British Embassy concurred that the story had previously been reported.
“This is nothing new. We think that the article is based on a report in the Saudi press on Aug. 26, which dealt with an arms cache that had been recently discovered,”
Mutt.
JEDDAH, 5 September 2003 — British Airways intends to resume flights to Saudi Arabia, suspended on Aug. 13 over security concerns, the Saudi Press Agency said yesterday.
Citing a joint statement by the British airliner and the Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority, the report said BA had ascertained that security measures at Saudi airports surpassed even international standards.
“British Airways asked the head of civil aviation (for clearance) to resume flights, and he secured the approval of higher authorities,” it added.
The statement did not say when British Airways would resume flights, suspended after the discovery of what US officials described as a plot by terrorists to attack planes at Riyadh’s main airport.
But sources at BA’s offices in Jeddah said normal service would resume early next week. Interior Minister Prince Naif said at the time of the suspension that the Kingdom had no “specific information” on a plot to attack commercial aircraft at King Khaled International Airport.
As for King Fahds illness, in reality he stopped running the country about 4-5 years ago, his brother Crown Prince Abdullah has the reins of power. The real power struggle will begin after the death of King Fahd.
noisy That BBC report is inaccurate and out of date.
JEDDAH, 5 September 2003 — A high-ranking official at the Ministry of the Interior yesterday denied a report on the BBC English language news website claiming that a consignment of surface-to-air missiles was intercepted last month on a desert road near Jeddah.
Remarkably, the denial was reported by BBC Arabic, the BBC’s Arabic language news site.
The official said the Interior Ministry had announced the seizure of a repair truck containing weapons including rocket-propelled grenades two weeks ago but that it had originated from Qunfudha in Jizan, near the Saudi-Yemeni border, and was intercepted outside Makkah, not on a desert road near Jeddah.
BBC security analyst Frank Garner, when asked whether he was aware that the story had been reported two weeks ago, told Arab News: “I was not aware that the statement was previously reported outside of Saudi Arabia.”
But a spokesman for the British Embassy concurred that the story had previously been reported.
“This is nothing new. We think that the article is based on a report in the Saudi press on Aug. 26, which dealt with an arms cache that had been recently discovered,”
Mutt.
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Saudi Arabia , land of hookas , hookers , faith and hypocracy is on a slippery slope to revolution in due course , therefore I think BA made a good decision here. To deny good intelligence and ignore an impending possibility of a terror strike is something akin of negligence in today`s " post 9/11 " security culture.
When King Fahad dies , count on a power struggle of such immensity that 25,000 plus princes and princesses could only create , as they ally themselves with whoever looks likely to assume the Kingship. Amid all this lies no doubt corruption, influence, abuse, rape, theft of the country`s wealth, and an environment where operating a 777 or 747 isn`t worth the bother, risk, or effort.
This will be a major world event as it unfolds, just be aware that a ( veiled ) lens can be made to show you only what you expect to see.....
When King Fahad dies , count on a power struggle of such immensity that 25,000 plus princes and princesses could only create , as they ally themselves with whoever looks likely to assume the Kingship. Amid all this lies no doubt corruption, influence, abuse, rape, theft of the country`s wealth, and an environment where operating a 777 or 747 isn`t worth the bother, risk, or effort.
This will be a major world event as it unfolds, just be aware that a ( veiled ) lens can be made to show you only what you expect to see.....
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While clearly things are drifting badly in Saudi Arabia, I think the real crunch may come, not when King Fahd dies, but when Abdullah dies. Crown Prince Abdullah has been pretty much running the show for a few years already, and I think he is a tough cookie in the sense that he has already admitted that the Saudi economy is facing problems and that he is realistic enough to know that some limited reforms have to happen. However, when he goes (he's healthy enough now for a 78-year old), then I think you may see the political fragmentation many have forecast. At least, I will give some credit to the Americans for finally seeing some sense in their Saudi policy and disengaging from the country, ie. removal of military forces and gradually lessening their oil dependence on that country and the Gulf in general.
On another front, how can British Airways announce they are flying back into Saudi Arabia the day after they discover a truckload of missiles there ? Or has the missiles story been exaggerated ?
On another front, how can British Airways announce they are flying back into Saudi Arabia the day after they discover a truckload of missiles there ? Or has the missiles story been exaggerated ?
