There was excitement but no crowds early morning at Riyadh's international airport as Saudi Arabia lifted a ban on citizens travelling out of the Gulf state without prior permission from authorities.

Saudi nationals who have received at least one Covid-19 vaccination shot a minimum of two weeks prior to travel, those who have recovered from the coronavirus disease within the last six months, and those under 18 will be allowed to travel for the first time since March 2020.

“It's a great feeling, thank God, we are happy, especially after the difficult period we and the entire world have suffered,” Bandar Al Nawash, a passenger waiting in the departure lounge of King Khalid International Airport, told Reuters.