Indian embassy clarifies Saudi departures amid cancelled flights

India's embassy in Riyadh issued fresh advice on October 13 amid disrupted air travel. It said visitors whose visas expired because flights were unavailable would be allowed to leave Saudi Arabia without overstay fines.

The provision covers Indian nationals on visit, tourist, business or Umrah visas who were forced to remain because they could not fly out. The embassy relayed information from Saudi authorities and urged affected travellers to leave as soon as flights become available.

Air India and Air India Express suspended flights to and from Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah until October 17. Akasa Air set the same deadline for Riyadh and Jeddah, while IndiGo also included Dammam and Medina. The embassy recommends checking the latest status with the carrier before travelling to an airport.

For emergency departures, the embassy suggested considering available flights from neighbouring countries, particularly Qatar and Bahrain. Such routes require compliance with the transit country's visa rules. Indian carriers' cancellations do not mean every Saudi airport has stopped operating.

During an aerial attack, citizens were advised to remain indoors and follow official local instructions. The embassy and the Jeddah consulate have arranged round-the-clock assistance.

In a separate update on those injured in the October 10 attack, the mission said 4 Indian nationals remained in intensive care, another 4 were in regular wards and 3 had been discharged.