Saudia Airlines has issued a strict dress code for passengers and has clearly stated that it will refuse to fly people who don’t adhere to it.
The national carrier of Saudi Arabia has explicitly mentioned on their website that travelers are not supposed to be “clothed in a manner that would cause discomfort or offence to other passengers. Women exposing legs or arms, or wearing too thin or too tight clothes and men wearing shorts exposing legs.”
Saudia flights are an alcohol free zone as the country prohibits its residents to consume or import alcohol. Moreover, the dress code for women is an abaya hence the imposition.
This issue has started a debate online with the hashtag, #SaudiaAirlines.
One Saudia Airline passenger posted an image of a male passenger travelling while wearing shorts, asking if the code would be enforced fairly.
النظام عندنا للاسف يصنف فئة الواسطة وفئة على باب الله ، يا يتم العمل بها بدون تفرقه او النظام يمشي على الكبير والصغير @Saudi_Airlines pic.twitter.com/99yBYRJ6FS
— mohammad (@mathlouh) August 4, 2017
The former Saudi head of tourism and health, Ali Al Ghamdi put forward his opinion and shared that many airlines have dress codes. He said that the requirements were not exclusive to Saudia Airlines but are issued by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and applied in varying degrees by different carriers.
