BA to resume Saudi flights

British Airways is to resume flights to Saudi Arabia following the suspension of services on August 13 due to terrorism fears, the airline announced today.

Services will recommence with a London-Riyadh service tomorrow (Saturday) with the London-Jeddah service starting again on Sunday.

BA said the decision to restart flights followed "a thorough review of security in and around Riyadh and Jeddah airports, in co-operation with the UK government's Department for Transport and the Saudi authorities".

Yesterday, it was reported that Saudi authorities had seized missiles near Jeddah airport capable of bringing down a passenger aircraft and which had been smuggled from Yemen.

Geoff Want, BA's director of safety and security, said today: "Our own team of security experts, together with British Government officials, has worked closely with the Saudi authorities to implement a number of additional, robust and sustainable security measures.

"We are now satisfied that levels of security are appropriate for us to resume services."

Travel advice

The Foreign Office today changed its travel advice for Britons in Saudi Arabia to reflect the resumption of flights.

The FO said security had been increased at Saudi airports but pointed out that two Britons were among the 30 killed in bomb attacks in Riyadh in

May this year and that "further large or small scale attacks against Western interests in Saudi Arabia remain likely".

Today's resumption of flights to Saudi Arabia follow yesterday's announcement by the UK Government that the ban on UK airline flights to Mombasa in Kenya was being lifted.

All Kenyan flights by British carriers were suspended in mid-May after specific threats to UK aircraft in the east African country. The ban was lifted for Nairobi in June and BA flights to the Kenyan capital resumed shortly afterwards.

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