UAE brings back 105 stranded workers from Saudi Arabia

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Amid the COVID-19 restrictions, five entities in UAE have joined hands and airlifted 105 workers, who have been stranded in Saudi Arabia after the country was not operating international flight services in light of rising positive cases.

The passengers arrived in Sharjah International Airport on the first special chartered flight out of Kingdom operated by Air Arabia at 6:30pm.

They are employed at the Ocean Oilfield, which is an EPCIC company specialised in offshore and onshore projects, based in Sharjah Freezone. The labourers reached Saudi Arabia as part of a project in February and had wound up their work in April itself.

However, the team had to stay back in the Kingdom after the country suspended international flight services in a bid to contain the spread of the deadly Coronavirus. The lockdown has dealt a heavy blow to thousands of foreigners in Saudi as they were forced to stay indoors with no way to return to their homes.

The passengers were repatriated after obtaining the Federal Authority For Identity & Citizenship approval, thanks to the efforts of Yaqoub Abdulla of Sharjah Freezone Authority and Sheikh Faisal Bin Saud Al Qasimi, Director of Sharjah Airport Authority.

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UAE Federal Government, Sharjah Police authorities, and Air Arabia were instrumental in bringing back the stranded workers. 

“The 105 workers arrived in Sharjah in the evening on Thursday, much to the joy of their family members. This brought a huge relief to the workers whose return was uncertain for some time now,” MI Mohammed, Chairman, Ocean Oilfield, said.