RIYADH/JEDDAH,February 2: As thousands of foreigners flee Cairo due to mass protests across Egypt, hundreds of Saudi citizens remain stranded at Cairo’s airport waiting for flights to the Kingdom, said Saudis returning from the country.
Samir Al-Kahli, 38, returned from Cairo on Sunday after Saudia increased its flights from Egypt. He said the situation at Cairo airport is chaotic.
“There are thousands of people at the airport. People are nervous and shouting. They are also pushing each other as more and more passengers keep coming,” said Al-Kahli, who had traveled to Cairo on a business trip.
He added that there are hundreds of Saudis still at the airport trying to get flights back to the Kingdom. “I left two of my friends there because they had no tickets … students and tourists who have no bookings have exacerbated the problem. Those who had bookings were able to fly,” he said.
Al-Kahli said the situation felt like that of a zoo and that check-in counters were understaffed because workers could not come to work because of curfews and lack of law and order across the country.
“You can’t believe what we saw. We were in a hotel and saw looters. We heard gunfire and saw people shooting at others. Hotel employees had to use knives and batons to ensure looters didn’t get in,” he added.
Mohammed A., a Saudi who recently returned from Cairo, said there were no officials from the Saudi Embassy or Saudi Arabian Airlines at the airport to help Saudi nationals. “I came to the airport looking for a way to go home, but there were no Saudi officials to help us. I had to find a way to buy a ticket and try to get on a plane myself,” he said. He added that no one was answering the emergency numbers at the Saudi Embassy and that people were left confused what to do.
Some Saudis arrived directly at the airport in Cairo, as they could not get an answer from the Saudi Embassy’s hotline. “I went to the airport hoping to catch a flight to the Kingdom and expected Saudia to take us without reservations,” said Nora, adding that she was ignored and told to go to JW Marriott Hotel where people would be designated flights to the Kingdom.
However, Abu Faisal, another Saudi who returned to Riyadh from Cairo, said that although the journey was tiring and stressful, officials from the Saudi Embassy and Saudi Arabian Airlines were very helpful.
“Yes there were chaotic times, but the whole situation was so uncontrollable and the numbers of people was very large to handle smoothly,” he said, adding that people were asked to gather at the JW Marriott Hotel, where they were put up for free and provided food.
Maha, a mother of two, said she was contacted by an embassy official who also asked her to the JW Marriott Hotel where flights were being organized. “It was an organized procedure and I felt so safe inside the hotel despite the horrifying situation across the country,” said Maha, adding that in spite of their few numbers, embassy staff did their best to control the situation.
Abdullah Al-Ajhar, director of Public Relations at Saudi Arabian Airlines, said the number of Saudis in Egypt is very large. “According to the embassy, there are 700,000 to 800,000 Saudis in Egypt. Transferring a quarter of them in the current conditions and with the curfew is not easy,” said Al-Ajhar.
He added that on the first day of protests, the situation was unclear. “However, after Jan. 28, an air bridge was formed to carry passengers from Cairo, Alexandria and Sharm El-Sheikh to Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah and Abha,” he said, adding that over 50 flights have so far been organized and that 15 jumbo planes have been transferring over 15,000 passengers a day.
Al-Ajhar said there has been a shortage of airlines and passport officials at Cairo airport. “Manpower was at a minimum and some of the officials were themselves stranded and unable to return home. They were also exhausted,” he said.
He added that food and drinks at the airport was running out and that Saudi Arabian Airlines has been organizing food for its passengers.
“The airport became like a shelter and we tried to make people as comfortable as possible” he said.
–Agencies