Husseini, the European regional director general for Sales and Passenger Services at Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAA), has said that as of Tuesday 22 of the airline's flights to Europe had been canceled due to the volcanic ash cloud emanating from Iceland. Eleven flights to London, four to Paris, three to Germany, two to Milan, and two to the Spanish capital Madrid have all been suspended, with each flight costing the company $1.5 million. “We have set up a customer service center with two hotlines open from 8 A.M. to 8 P.M.,” Al-Husseini said. “We are updated on the situation at European airports every ten hours.” Al-Husseini added that the airline was also working with Saudi embassies abroad to keep abreast of the situation of passengers in terms of providing them with accommodation. “This is a genuine problem at the moment because hotels are all booked up with passengers from all over the world,” he said. When the situation returns to normal, Al-Husseini said, priority will be given to elderly and sick passengers, as well as students who study in the Kingdom. “We will be replacing the Boeing 777 with a Jumbo which can carry a greater number of passengers,” he said.
