Interior Minister Prince Nayef yesterday downplayed security concerns that prompted British Airways to cancel its Riyadh-London-Riyadh flight, saying the Kingdom had not been informed about security threats.
| "Pish! Prob'ly nothing. You know how excitable those Brits are..." |
âAlthough the channels... between (BA) and us are open, they did not tell us about anything related to planes,â he said when asked whether he had information on terrorist attacks on specific planes or flights. âThis concerns them only and they know their own affairs better,â the minister said. British Airways yesterday canceled the flight, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at both ends. âThe London-bound Flight BA262 was canceled because of the suspension of its incoming BA Flight 263 from London to Riyadh, which was due to take off from Heathrow Airport for Riyadh Saturday,â said Chris Phipps, country manager for British Airways. Phipps said BA grounded flights on the Riyadh-London-Riyadh sector because of security concerns. âWe are closely working with the British government, and BA also appreciates the high security standards of the Saudi government agencies, which is evident from a fool-proof security system currently in place at the Kingdomâs international airports,â he said. |