A woman hugs her relative who arrived from Doha, at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on January 11, 2021. (Reuters / Ahmed Yosri)
Doha: A Qatar Airways jetliner landed in Saudi Arabia on Monday, completing the first direct flight from Doha to Riyadh since the Gulf crisis started in mid-2017.
People were seen welcoming their relatives who arrived from Doha, at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, today. In emotional welcome many were see hugging and kissing their relatives, who are arriving after more than three years.
The resumption of direct flights came after Saudi Arabia reopened its borders and airspace with Qatar last week, paving the way for a broader rapprochement. At an annual Gulf summit meeting in Al Ula, Gulf countries signed a pledge to resolve the dispute that has fragmented the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Passengers check-in at Hamad International Airport in Doha on January 11, 2021. (Reuters / Ibraheem Al Omari)
Qatar Airways announced it would restart daily service to the capital of Riyadh, four weekly flights to the Red Sea city of Jeddah and daily flights to the eastern city of Damman using wide-body aircraft. Saudi Airlines was also set to fly to Doha later Monday.
"We also look forward to resuming a strong relationship with our trade and cargo partners in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as the major airports in the country,” the Qatar state airline said.
Bahrain’s civil aviation affairs authority joined in saying it would reopen its airspace to Qatar on Monday, following a similar weekend announcement from the United Arab Emirates.
On Saturday, the first Qatari vehicles passed through the country’s only land crossing with Saudi Arabia.
Saudi state-run Ekhbariya TV broadcast footage of Qatari drivers receiving warm welcomes at the Abu Samra-Salwa desert crossing over the weekend. Several Saudi citizens in their traditional red-and-white-checkered headdresses thronged the cars, lowering their masks to touch noses with the Qatari drivers, a gesture of friendship and respect.
"Thank God that the crisis has been resolved, and that our reception is nice, as is the joy we see in our brothers," one of the first Qatari citizens to pass through the border told the Saudi newscaster.
