Oman has halted passenger traffic via air, land, and seaports for a week, amid fears of the new coronavirus strain in the UK.
Following this, Air India has announced the suspension of all flights to and from Oman.
“All Air India flights to and from Oman will stand suspended after the decision of the Sultanate to close all travel outlets from 0100hours on December 22, 2020, for a period of one week,” the national carrier said in an official statement.
However, Oman has exempted freight services and domestic flights from the new ban.
Oman Airports tweeted:
Saudi Arabia has also halted all international services to and from the Kingdom.
“An official source in the Ministry of Interior: The Kingdom decides to suspend all international flights for travellers – except in exceptional cases – temporarily for a week, which may be extended for another week,” General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Saudi Arabia, tweeted on Monday, December 21, 2020.
Hence, Air India Express, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India, announced that it will not operate flights to and from Saudi Arabia for a period of one week.
Kuwait is another Gulf nation that has temporarily suspended international flight operations.
“Suspending commercial flights from and to Kuwait International Airport and closing the land and sea border crossings from 2300 hours, December 21, 2020, until Friday, January 1, 2021,” Center For Government Communication, Kuwait stated in a tweet.