JEDDAH, Sep 15 (Arab News): More than 4,000 Saudis who spent the Eid holidays in Egypt are reportedly stranded there because they cannot find seats either on Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) or EgyptAir.

“Saudia has to intervene urgently to resolve this problem by increasing flights between Saudi Arabia and Egypt,” Nasser Al-Tayar, chairman of the committee of travel and tourist agencies at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told local Arabic daily Al-Madinah on Tuesday.

He noted that a large number of Saudis could not return on time after the Eid vacation to their homes, especially in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.

“They will not be able to go back to work on time, whether they are in the public or private sector,” he warned.

Al-Tayyar noted that EgyptAir has increased its flights to the Kingdom and asked Saudia to do the same in order to end the predicament of stranded passengers.

According to him, a large number Saudis had opted to spend the Eid vacation in Cairo, Alexandria, Sharm Al-Sheikh and other Egyptian cities and resorts, but they were not able to return due to a shortage of available seats.

“The Saudi vacationers are now having problems with the hotels, either because their reservations have elapsed or due to a lack of funds,” he said. Al-Tayyar said this problem occurs every year, but this time it has been aggravated by the large number of Saudis who traveled to Egypt for Eid.