Ibrahim Al-Qirbi and Ibrahim Alawi Okaz/Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH – The north and south terminals of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah have been witnessing severe crowding due to a large number of passenger departures coinciding with the start of the working week after of the Haj and Eid Al-Adha holidays. Chaos reigned at the arrival and departure halls. Passengers could not move in the south terminal because of the piles of luggage inside and outside the terminal. Okaz/Saudi Gazette found passengers sleeping on pavements in the vicinity of the airport. More and more buses kept arriving with outgoing pilgrims of various nationalities at the south terminal. A number of passengers criticized the long wait and the slow pace of check-in procedures. They claimed the same sort of chaos occurs every holiday season. They demanded the situation was studied from all angles and the causes analyzed. A large number of the passengers were domestic pilgrims returning home after Haj. On Tuesday, many flights departing to other Saudi cities were delayed and the fate of other flights was uncertain, while airport staff declined to give any clarification. Passengers sat in the lounges waiting anxiously for information about their flights or new timings for pending flights. Saeed Al-Amri, a passenger on a delayed flight heading to Dammam, said he preferred to remain in his seat because he did not want someone else to take his place if he got up to inquire about the flight. He said his flight should have taken off two hours ago but he still waited for information. He complained that there were insufficient seats and the meals being sold at the airport were expensive. Al-Amri added the flight should have taken off at noon, but it was then scheduled for 3 p.m. He said passengers were totally ignored by Saudi Arabian Airlines and airport officials. They did not provide the passengers with drinks — not even to the elderly and children, he added. Some of the officials dealt with the passengers nonchalantly and even arrogantly, he said. There were no suitable places for the families to rest. They remained standing as there were only a few seats available in the lounge, Al-Amri added. Ahmad Al-Ghamdi and Salim Basurrah said the way they were treated was unacceptable. Nobody apologized or answered their inquiries about the delay of flights, they claimed. Latifa Al-Shihri said officials who treated passengers in this way should be held accountable. The women either sat on the floor of the terminals or remained standing, carrying their children, she said. Al-Shihri said: “They did not appreciate the magnitude of the passengers' suffering due to the delayed flights, especially the children and old people suffering from chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes.” Okaz/Saudi Gazette tried to contact Abdullah Al-Ajhar, Assistant Director General for Public Relations at Saudia, but there was no response.
