Saudi says women banned from flight jobs

Saudi Arabia has no plans to allow its women to work as stewardesses on its passenger aircraft because of social barriers, its aviation chief has said. “There are no plans for the time being to allow Saudi women to work as stewardesses or take up other flight jobs because of social and legal reasons,” said Prince Fahd bin Abdullah bin Mohammed, head of the Saudi Aviation Authority. Quoted by the London-based Saudi Arabic language daily Alhayat, he said Saudi women had been allowed to work at flight ground services and airports through the Gulf Kingdom, the world’s largest oil exporter with a population of 28 million. “We are undertaking efforts to allow Saudi women to get new jobs that will fulfill their ambitions,” said Prince Fahd, also chairman of Saudia Airlines. Women cannot drive cars and are still banned from many jobs in Saudi Arabia, one of the most conservative Moslem nations.