The MEA said attacks on Saudi airports have disrupted Indian carriers’ flights to Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Medina, with cancellations announced until October 17.
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Flight operations to Saudi Arabia by all Indian carriers have been impacted by attacks on airports in the kingdom, and the Indian embassy in Riyadh is focused on ensuring the welfare of the Indian diaspora, the external affairs ministry said on Wednesday.
India has condemned all strikes on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and believes “such attacks need to cease immediately”, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a regular media briefing.
He said one Indian was killed and 11 others were injured in the attack on the international airport in Riyadh on October 12. Three of the injured had been discharged, while eight were still in hospital, including four in the intensive care unit (ICU).
“There have been a string of attacks in Saudi Arabia and we have condemned those attacks,” Jaiswal said, noting that there was a strike on energy major Saudi Aramco’s headquarters on Tuesday.
“They [attacks] are totally unacceptable. We stand in solidarity with the people and government of Saudi Arabia in defence of their sovereignty and we hope that there is a return to peace and normalcy in the region soon,” he said.
Saudi Arabia is home to a large Indian diaspora, and there are many travellers between the two countries, some of whom have been affected by disruptions to flight schedules following the attacks on the international airport in Riyadh and other airports, Jaiswal said.
While flights operated by Indian carriers to and from Riyadh, Dammam, Medina and Jeddah have been disrupted, Saudi Arabian airlines are operating several flights. IndiGo, Air India Express, Air India and Akasa Air announced on Tuesday that they were cancelling flights connecting Saudi Arabian cities until October 17 because of the evolving situation in the country.
The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia is in regular touch with members of the Indian community to ensure their welfare. It has also issued advisories and continues to provide updated information to Indian travellers and others stranded in Saudi Arabia, Jaiswal said.
There are more than four million Indians in Saudi Arabia, one of the largest concentrations of the diaspora in West Asia. Eighteen Indians, including 11 seafarers, have died since the start of the West Asia conflict.
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More
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