UK consul to Saudi Arabia clarifies Jeddah-London flight tweet

Abu Dhabi: Seif Usher, the British Consul General to the Saudi Arabia, has explained that his recently published tweet regarding the restart of flights from the Kingdom to London was referencing the British Residents’ Return Initiative.

The British Consul had said in his tweet: “Saudi Airlines has operated flights for some time to London, primarily to allow British citizens to return to the United Kingdom.”

Usher tweeted: “Notice for British Nationals: a Jeddah to London Heathrow direct flight on Saturday 22 August is now available to book at http://Saudia.com."

On whether the UK embassy in Saudi Arabia can help British nationals wanting to return to the Kingdom, Usher said: “Expatriates wishing to return to Saudi Arabia still need to await a formal announcement on this topic from the relevant authorities in the Kingdom. Please do continue to follow our official social media channel @UKinSaudiArabia for updates too.”

On whether British residents holding British resident permits can also book their seats for such flights, he said: “UK residents can book seats on this flight, subject to the usual entry clearance requirements.”