Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia), the national airline of the country, cancelled 465 flights last week due to sandstorms that hit the Eastern Province and Riyadh region.

An additional 678 flights were delayed while 19 others were redirected to other destinations. Moreover, 94 flights have been scheduled to compensate for the delays and cancelations, a report in the Saudi Gazzette stated.

The airline expressed its regret for the inconvenience to the passengers and said all of its operations and aviation departments had been placed on alert to tackle any problems that may arise due to inclement weather conditions.

All 27 flights to and from Riyadh were cancelled on April 1. Around 25 other scheduled and non-scheduled flights were diverted to King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, but with poor visibility reported in the Eastern Province the flights were re-diverted to airports in Bahrain, Doha, Qatar and Muscat, Oman, the report said.

Airports in all the regions were affected by the sandstorm, leaving passengers stranded at airports. The airline also faced a shortage of crew and captains, as they were on vacation following aviation regulations that require crews to take compulsory breaks, it said.

The crews were asked to return to work and the airline had also arranged for Haj and Umrah aircraft to be used to clear the backlog.

The General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) said it was monitoring the sector and following up with the airlines to ensure accommodation and food were being provided to stranded passengers, the report said.

GACA had called on all its employees to be available at the airport help passengers. It also initiated 94 replacement flights, provided transportation and used Boeings 747 and Airbus 330 to meet the demand of at least 28,400 passengers stuck in the airports, the report said.

The kingdom is expected to face additional sandstorms, described as the worst to hit the country in the past decade.

Residents in Al-Jouf, Hail, Northern Borders, Qasim and Riyadh regions have been warned by the Presidency for Metrology and Environment (PME) as well as the Civil Defence of severe cloudy and dusty weather, it said.