Biman Bangladesh Airlines has decided to resume all its flights bound for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) after the KSA government’s lifting of the ban on all international commercial flights due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
A press release, signed by Tahera Khandaker, deputy general manager (public relations) of Biman, was issued in this regard on Sunday.
“The passengers of the suspended flights are requested to visit their nearest Biman Sales Office as per the schedule given on Biman's website www.biman-airlines.com,” said the press release.
“They will be allotted seats on priority basis, subject to vacancy,” it added.
Earlier on December 21, the national flag carrier cancelled all its flights to Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dammam in response to the ban in Saudi Arabia.
On December 20, Saudi Arabia had halted international flights and suspended entry through its land and seaports after a new, fast-spreading Covid-19 variant appeared in the UK.
Saudi Arabia "temporarily suspended all international flights – except in exceptional cases – for a period of one week, which can be extended by another week," the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) had said.
"Entry to the kingdom through land and seaports will also be suspended for a week, which can be extended by another week," SPA added, citing the Interior Ministry.
The development came after several European countries banned travel to and from the UK, after the UK government said a highly infectious new variant of the coronavirus was "out of control."
SPA said passengers who arrived in Saudi Arabia from Europe – or any country where the new strain was detected – starting December 8 will be required to self-isolate for two weeks, and undergo testing.
Saudi Arabia has already kicked off a three-phase Covid-19 vaccination program, after the first shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrived in the country.