At least 12 scheduled domestic and international flights from King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah suffered delays of on average 30 minutes Tuesday night due to rainstorms and dense clouds, a Saudi Arabian Airlines official said. Poor visibility and slick runways led air traffic control to restrict incoming and outgoing flights, leaving passengers angry at the “lack of information”. Travelers have been advised to check airline websites or contact them by telephone to confirm the status of flights. Airport authorities said they took the necessary measures to cater for stranded passengers, and the General Authority of Civil Aviation put into effect its emergency for the safety of passengers and public property. Operations at Jeddah Islamic Seaport, meanwhile, remained unaffected. The downpour was “perfectly normal,” said Seaport director Saher Tahlawi. Light traffic, no incidents The Jeddah Traffic Department, meanwhile, deployed 280 teams to streets across the city, notably those experiencing light flooding, to ensure that traffic ran smoothly as the rains continued to fall. “The people of Jeddah have learned the lesson from last month's floods and stayed at home, resulting in only light traffic most of the day,” said Muhammad Al-Qahtani, Jeddah's Traffic Department chief. According to Al-Qahtani, sections of the old Jeddah-Makkah road were closed due to flooding, and the road between Umm Al-Sallam and Kilo 10 was entirely shut down in the interests of road-user safety. “Traffic within the city's boundaries was unaffected, with the exception of one lane in Tahiya Street near the Pepsi Bridge,” he said. “The water is being pumped off the surface of the road.” Al-Qahtani added that four traffic signals failed on Quraish Street and sewage water had been observed spreading on to the road. “No major accidents and no deaths were reported,” Al-Qahtani said. “The downpour was of normal levels.”
