JEDDAH — The Saudi Arabian government has banned all Indonesian airlines from flying into the Kingdom, following a similar ban enforced by the European Union, according to an Indonesian transportation ministry official.
"We have just received today a letter informing us of the ban signed on Sunday by the vice-president of safety and regulation at the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), Mohammed R. Berenji," transportation ministry spokesman Bambang S. Ervan was quoted as saying by detik.com news portal.
"The Saudi Arabian GACA started adopting EU rulings banning airlines from flying into the country as of last year," he said.
Currently, only flag carrier Garuda Indonesia flies to Saudi Arabia linking Jakarta with Jeddah and Riyadh.
The Saudi Arabian embassy in Jakarta said it had yet to receive any information from Riyadh regarding the ban. "We have yet to get information on the matter from Riyadh," a Saudi Arabian diplomat told The Jakarta Post on the condition of anonymity.