News just in! 🙁
Looks like a repeat of the Kenya suspension.
Full article here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3148067.stm
Quote:
British Airways has suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia until further notice in response to a specific terrorist threat to its planes in the country.
The threat became apparent in the last 24 hours but is not thought to be related to the missile arrests in the US, said BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner.
The decision – announced by the company on Wednesday – follows discussions between the airline and the Department of Transport.
A spokesman for the department said it had warned airlines there was “credible intelligence of a serious threat to UK aviation interests in area”.
UnQuote
By: andrew_airbus - 17th August 2003 at 14:35
I think drastic action needed to be taken and by god it was. The last thing aviation needs now is another terroist attack! Espesially with some manufacturers under threat like shorts/Bombardier where 3,000 workers were made redundand and Dornier where a Chinese company had to buy the company.
BA was just right
By: Old Git - 17th August 2003 at 12:18
Despite the problems in this area, passenger numbers have been dropping for some time. Air France no longer fly to Jeddah and neither do Swissair (as it was). Lufthansa had a direct flight from Frankfurt but it is now routed through Riyadh. I flew back from here on 13th March and I counted 29 of us on the coach out to the aircraft. The reason is that there is no longer the money here that there once was and I know a number of people who have not had contracts renewed and left for good. A sign of the times here I am afraid and when you add the terrorist threat then numbers drop even more. Its a sod for me because I count the days to when I sit on the plane looking down after take off with a nice cool heineken in front of me. Saudia don’t serve alcohol. If BA don’t return in the near future I will have to look at the alternatives – maybe Cyprus Airways.
By: batbay - 17th August 2003 at 11:37
Some comment in today’s paper linking the threat to a “lost” (i.e. location unknown) 727 in Africa.
By: steve rowell - 17th August 2003 at 08:44
Can you blame them
By: Pembo330 - 13th August 2003 at 19:55
Still very scary though. When I’m on a plane I don’t think about stuff like that (which is a good thing) but I worry, that sooner or later, some lunatic will get through the nets. God Forbid. 🙁
By: T5 - 13th August 2003 at 18:38
A good move. I’m sure if the route would have continued as normal, passenger numbers would have dropped.
By: KabirT - 13th August 2003 at 16:44
Probably a sensible thing to do.
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August 13, 2003 at 4:28 pm