News Desk
RIYADH: Dozens of passengers are facing a distressing situation in Saudi Arabia after their private airline’s flight operations were abruptly suspended, leaving them stranded for over ten days.
The crisis began when the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in Pakistan issued a notification grounding the airline’s operations. The regulator stated that the airline’s Air Operator Certificate was suspended because it did not have a single airworthy aircraft available for service.
The airline’s management, however, offered a different explanation. They claimed their aircraft in Saudi Arabia, which had been previously grounded due to a bird strike, has now been repaired and is flight-ready.
In a statement, the airline said it is actively trying to get its operating certificate reinstated and has filed an appeal with the CAA. The appeal specifically requests permission to operate a special flight to repatriate the stranded passengers.
This bureaucratic deadlock offers little comfort to the travellers on the ground. One stranded passenger reported, “We have run out of money and have been confined to one room for ten days,” highlighting the dire and worsening human cost of the impasse.
