JEDDAH — Saudi Arabian Airlines confirmed on Wednesday that it will regularly update travel requirements for international destinations, and that will be based on decisions taken by Saudi authorities. The national carrier has also posted on its official Twitter account a link (https://bit.ly/3suX5k1) with a list of countries and general advice to the people. Saudia has been gearing up to resume regular international flights after the service was suspended more than a year ago due to the global outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The new Saudia link has specified the list of countries to where travel is allowed and not allowed, as well as general advice, including verification of the eligibility criteria for travel introduced by the respective countries and obtaining the required permits and permissions, if necessary. The airline emphasized that the conditions and procedures are subject to continuous updating without prior notice. Passengers should check the latest information about the conditions and guidelines required to travel from official and authorized sources before traveling and have to obtain a PCR medical test certificate from one of the approved examination centers in Saudi Arabia, the airline pointed out. It is noteworthy that Saudia announced recently that the suspension of all international flights will be lifted starting from 1 a.m. on Monday, May 17, saying that this won't be applicable to countries where the relevant official committee decided to suspend travel to or from due to the outbreak of coronavirus. The Ministry of Interior had announced the suspension of entry of expatriates from 20 countries into the Kingdom as part of measures to combat coronavirus, effective from Feb. 3. The decision included those coming from other countries if they had passed through any of these 20 countries during the 14 days preceding their application to enter the Kingdom. The move exempted Saudi citizens, as well as foreign diplomats, health practitioners, and their families. The countries facing the ban are Argentina, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the United States, Indonesia, India, Japan, Ireland, Italy, Pakistan, Brazil, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Turkey, South Africa, Sweden, Swiss Confederation, France, Lebanon, and Egypt. The decision included those coming from other countries if they had passed through any of these 20 countries during the 14 days preceding their application to enter the Kingdom.
