Saudia airline to only allow vaccinated passengers on domestic flights from September

Rule does not apply to children under 12 or people exempt from taking the vaccine

Saudia will not allow unvaccinated passengers on domestic flights from September 1. AFP

Saudi Arabia's national carrier, Saudia, will only allow passengers who have received two doses of the coronavirus vaccine to travel on its domestic flights from September 1.

The rule does not apply to children under the age of 12 or people exempt from taking the vaccine for health reasons, the airline said.

Passengers must take precautionary measures and follow safety protocols set by the Ministry of Health, it said.

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday lifted a ban on travel from 20 countries for residents fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in a move that allows the return of thousands of expatriates who have been stranded abroad for months.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation said the ban was lifted only for residents who had received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine in the kingdom prior to their departure.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health has approved six Covid-19 vaccines: Pfizer-BionTech, Johnson & Johnson, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Moderna, Sinopharm and Sinovac.