Saudi suspends flights to UAE, Ethiopia and Vietnam

Saudi Arabia is from today banning travel, without permission, to the UAE, as well as Ethiopia and Vietnam, in an effort to curb the spread of the new and more infectious Delta variant of Covid-19.

As of 23:00 on 4 July, Saudi Arabia is also suspending all flights to and from these countries. Any passengers arriving from these countries and Afghanistan, directly or indirectly, will be required to undergo institutional quarantine, except for those who have spent at least 14 days in a country that Saudi Arabia does not currently have a ban on travel to.

The addition of these countries brings the number of countries Saudi Arabia is banning entry from to 17, up from 13 previously.

This news comes just six weeks after the kingdom reopened all air, sea and land ports and restarted international flights for the first time in a year, providing a much-needed boost to domestic jet fuel demand.

But these renewed restrictions and suspensions on some international flights will once again weigh on jet fuel demand in Saudi Arabia. Demand dropped to 21,000 b/d in March, according to the latest data from the from the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (Jodi), the lowest monthly level since April 2020 before recovering to 36,000 b/d in April.

The flight suspension comes despite a relatively stable Covid-19 situation in the country, although case numbers are continuing to creep up. Saudi Arabia registered an average 1,238 new daily infection cases in June, up from 1,069 cases in May.

By Ieva Paldaviciute