Several local tourists have been left stranded in Abha more because of the paucity of flights than the inclement weather in the region. During the past couple of days, Abha airport has been crowded with passengers waiting to return after spending their vacation in the tourist city. The available flights have been unable to accommodate the large influx of passengers. Passengers are calling on the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) and Saudi Arabian Airlines to look for practical solutions. The dust wave that hit Abha in the past two days did not affect flights, as planes took off and landed without any delay. Yahya Asiri, after unsuccessfully waiting for 10 days for flight confirmation, hit the road to reach Riyadh with his family of seven. Abdul Rahman Al-Qahtani and his wife also left Abha by taxi, as they failed to get seats for one week. They would come to the airport every day and wait for hours to get confirmation of their bookings. “Till when should we bear this situation at Abha airport? It happens in the beginning and end of every summer,” Al-Qahtani said. Amm Sultan, a disabled man on a wheelchair, was scheduled to fly to Riyadh to meet an appointment at the eye hospital. “This is not the first time I'm suffering at Abha airport,” he said. “Besides from my suffering due to my disability and weak sight, I suffer when I don't make it to the appointments in Riyadh due to the difficulty in getting reservations at the airport.” “Furthermore, the hospital does not appreciate the reason for not arriving on time. If I miss my appointment, I'll have to wait for another month to see the doctor,” he added. Sami Al-Khaldi attributed the crowding to the lack of large aircraft flying to and from Abha. He stressed the importance of expanding the airport facilities and increasing the number of flights operating in Abha because it is an important destination for local and international tourism. A source at the airport said there was no delay in any flight. In addition to the 11 daily scheduled flights, an extra flight operated at 8 P.M. every Thursday. It has considerably reduced the crowding at the airport, he said blaming passengers for not making early reservations. “They come to the airport hours before the departure time and expect a seat,” he said. The source denied that bad weather was affecting the flights. He stressed that all flights took off and landed on time. __
