There have been complaints that females sitting next to non-related males feel uncomfortable.

Saudi Arabian Airlines on Sunday dismissed claims made by some local media outlets that the national flag carrier is planning to segregate men and women on its flights.

Denying that such arrangements are being considered, Abdullah Al-Ajhar, the airline’s spokesman, termed the reports as “false” and “misleading.”

Speaking to Arab News, Al-Ajhar asserted that there are no plans to separate passengers based on their gender.

A few days ago, international media, quoting a local daily, reported that Saudia is planning to segregate according to gender, following complaints of uncomfortable journeys by male relatives of female passengers.

According to the report, some passengers complained that females sitting next to non-related male passengers felt uncomfortable.

In the report, the international news organization quoted Abdul Rahman Al-Fahd, airline’s vice president for marketing, as saying that measures would be taken to solve this problem.

However, the official concerned denied having made any statement on segregation. He asserted that his quote was taken out of context.

Al-Fahd tried to clear the air on the matter by tweeting what he claimed was his real response: “I answered: We are trying to find a solution and awaiting the outcome.”

In a significant but unrelated move, Saudia has extended the validity of domestic flight tickets from 6 months to 1 year from Jan. 1.

According to the new system, passengers will have to purchase tickets while making reservations on domestic flights, with the ticket validity extended to one year to give passengers enough flexibility, a Saudia official said.

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