The British lines cancel their trips finally to Saudi Arabia because of the security situation

1-14-2005

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

London :

The British Airlines ( British Airways ) declared the cancellation of their trips to Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia starting from next March, and they threw the blame on the war in the region that affected the tourism and the investment .

And the company said that its seven weekly trips to Jiddah and Riyadh will stop finally in the next spring .

And The Guardian Newspaper reported by officials in the company their saying the decision is commercial and is not politically, that it pointed to the difficult security circumstances that Saudi Arabia pass by, where it witnessed last year the most violent operations that Islamists launched sympathizers with the Al-Qaeda Network in Saudi Arabia, against foreign and governmental interests .

And a spokesman by the company name said that the British lines became not capable of the continuation of their trips to Saudi Arabia because of the financial return few .

And he pointed that the security situation in Saudi Arabia eased the commercial request and we become not receiving reservations sufficient for the travel there as that the working foreign companies in Saudi Arabia reduced number of its employees or their move temporarily to the Saudi neighbouring countries, in Dubai and Bahrain .

And he makes despite the security circumstances more than 30 thousand British, and the decision of the company because they consider them will confuse them the better and more choice a rest in their trips to Britain and because of the non presence of direct trips between Saudi Arabia and Britain and The United States .

And the British lines have suspended their trips of Saudi Arabia in the summer of year 2003 according to an advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the presence of threats, and the company carried out the cancellation of number of the trips last year, and became and changed their schedules where they prevented the planes set from the spending the night in Saudi Arabia, and the foreign ministry advises the citizens British with the commitment of the caution because of what says that it is the continuation of the terrorist threats, and was the last operation members carried out them in the Al-Qaeda in 29 Kanon Al Aol ( Dismbr ), when gunmen attacked a built the Ministry of Interior .

And a captain suspended Ali 's pilot the decision by a palm, where he said that the trips are to Saudi Arabia a tiring, and full of the instructions and the warnings, and the commercial reason is an excuse only for the avoidance of the travel for Saudi Arabia .

And the newspaper said that the decision surprised the financial analysts considering that the Middle East region is considered an important source of the profits of British Airways and that from behind its trips to Africa and the Middle East and India revenues reaped its amount 2.1 billion Sterlings in last year and 210 millions pounds of net profits .

Jerusalem Arab 13 / 1 / 2005