Stranded Overseas Workers Watch Their Leave and Exit Permits Run Out in Saudi Arabia

SAUDI ARABIA — Stranded overseas workers from Nepal are struggling to return home as flight disruptions continue. In interviews published November 2, workers described dwindling leave and growing concern over expiring exit permits.

Getting workers home belongs in every overseas employer’s contingency planning. A cancelled flight can quickly become an accommodation, welfare and family problem.

— POC

Stranded Overseas Workers Face Mounting Costs

Rajesh Rai hoped to see his family after three years abroad. However, cancelled travel plans left him waiting in Jeddah after a long bus journey.

Meanwhile, other workers reported expensive replacement tickets and repeated cancellations. Some had already finished their employment.

Nepal’s embassy in Riyadh told the Kathmandu Post it had asked employers to provide food and accommodation. However, officials lacked a confirmed number of stranded Nepalis.

Airline Notices Confirm Disruptions

Nepal Airlines cancelled its October 31 Kathmandu–Dammam flight and November 1 return service, citing Saudi Arabia’s security situation. Its October 28 notice offered affected passengers free date changes or a full refund. The airline also said it would monitor conditions before issuing further schedule updates.

Meanwhile, Himalaya Airlines published another Dammam cancellation notice on November 3. That update confirms the disruption continued into the new month.

The disruption extends beyond those two services. Aviation data reported October 26 showed airlines cancelled about 45 percent of scheduled Saudi departures between October 8 and 25. Riyadh’s cancellation rate reached approximately 86 percent during that period.

Those figures describe October’s disruption. They do not establish the operating status of every airport or flight today.