Bahrain - Community leaders are cautioning expatriates choosing to fly back through Saudi Arabia to be aware of customs guidelines and not pack contraband to avoid long delays at the King Fahad Causeway.

Indian expatriates have been taking Gulf Air flights chartered by community organisations from Dammam to a number of Indian cities, including Kochi, Chennai and Mumbai.

Amongst the travellers are residents going home to deal with extenuating family circumstances like deaths, aging parents or pregnancies, as well as visitors who were in the kingdom to see their relatives when the Iranian attacks began and Bahrain’s airspace closed.

“Some community members have been looking for a chance to go back, not necessarily because they are afraid but because Eid is coming, their children are finishing school and have to start college or family members are sick,” Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam (BKS) president P V Radhakrishna Pillai told the GDN.

“Travellers also include people on visit visas, pregnant ladies, the elderly and those who are sick and need to go back home.

“Unfortunately the airspace is closed, so we decided to charter some flights, and the community responded well, and with the help of Gulf Air, we have so far had four flights, with two more in the works.

“We had chartered almost 30 flights during the Covid-19 pandemic, so we have had some previous experience in organising this.”

Yesterday morning, charter flights were organised by both BKS and Nav Bharat to Kochi and Mumbai, respectively.

Ahead of the shuttle departure from Manama, community organisers briefed passengers on border control policies.

“Valuables exceeding SAR 30,000 (BD3,000) must be declared in advance, including carrying more than two laptops,” Nav Bharat leaders told the passengers during an online meeting the night before departure.

“Any form of powder substances is not permitted. Alcohol is strictly prohibited. Books or materials that are restricted are not allowed.

“Hindu deity idols are not permitted. Perfumes with high alcohol content are prohibited.

“Any items considered unlawful under international regulations are strictly prohibited.”

Speaking to the GDN, a Gulf Air official confirmed that although the kingdom’s national carrier had streamlined the process and informed border control ahead of time, not following these guidelines has led to delays of up to six hours, and passengers need to be aware that they are entering Saudi Arabia and need to follow local laws.

With a capacity of 48 per bus and each flight carrying around 192 passengers, four buses have been ferrying travellers across the causeway, and delays in a single bus could lead to the flight being delayed.

Nav Bharat president Ruchi Dubey noted that the elderly and those with small children were the top priority at this time, to reduce the level of uncertainty.

Ms Dubey’s 80-year-old mother-in-law flew yesterday to Mumbai.

“People outside Bahrain may not be aware of it, but the authorities here have really kept us safe during the attacks in the past several weeks, but ultimately some might prefer to go back so they don’t panic in this kind of situation, and we have been helping them fly back,” Ms Dubey said.

Meanwhile, Indian expatriate Nitin Saini and his wife Monika, who is seven months pregnant, also flew back yesterday.

“We are heading to Delhi (from Mumbai) since my wife is pregnant and is due in a couple of months,” Mr Saini added. “Since we don’t know how long the situation here will last and we cannot arrange for a family member to come here and help my wife after she gives birth, it made sense for us to fly back.

“I will be back soon, however, since my job is here and Bahrain is close to our heart.”

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