A governor of a northern governorate in Makkah verbally and physically abused a Saudia employee at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah after being late and refused entry onto a plane. Eyewitnesses confirmed that the governor was late for his flight, that the doors were closed and all the passengers were on board. Wanting to get onto the plane, the governor shouted at one of the Saudia employees, ordering him to open the door. When the employee refused to do so, the governor started abusing him. The Saudia employee reported the incident to the police at the airport. The governor saved himself from possible further action by apologizing verbally and in writing to the employee, who was also persuaded by some of his colleagues to drop his case. This has been confirmed by an official from the Saudia Information Affairs department. The story started when the governor was on his way to Riyadh but found the flight's gate had been closed. He started arguing with the employee and demanded that the gate be opened. He said he was an official and had to leave for Riyadh. In line with the rules, the employee refused to open the gate. At this point, the governor lost his temper and started abusing the employee, branding him a racist. The governor attacked him in the presence of other passengers and Saudia employees. The security forces at the airport had to intervene in the scuffle.
