Saudi Arabian Airlines has stopped all of its commercial flights to Syria due to an escalation of violence in that country. “I would like to assure all passengers who have made reservations to fly to Damascus and have purchased tickets, that they can exchange or return their tickets. They can either return the ticket for a full cash refund or change the ticket to another destination without incurring any additional charge or fee,” said Abdullah M. Al-Ajhar, the airline's Vice President for Public Relations. In the past, Saudi Airlines had four flights from Riyadh, four from Jeddah, and two from Dammam to Damascus each week, for a total of 10 available weekly flights to Syria. In recent months as problems exacerbated and safety became a concern for visitors and tourists, the government strongly advised Saudis to avoid travel to Syria, especially after a young Saudi, Hussein Al-Anzi, was killed by Syrian troops in Homs. __
