DHAKA, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabian Airlines moves to cut one-third of its passenger flights between the country's major cities and Bangladesh's capital Dhaka in April, leading English daily The Financial Express reported on Wednesday.

    The leading Arab carrier has drawn a plan to cut back its flights to eight from 12 as the passengers' traffic slid on the back of a freeze on manpower recruitment from Bangladesh, the newspaper quoted travel traders as saying.

    A Dhaka-based airline official told the newspaper that the carrier would implement the plan from April this year.

    Saudi Arabia is one of the major destinations for Bangladesh overseas job seekers. But the Saudi government almost stopped new recruitment from Bangladesh last year, the newspaper said.

    Saudia, the Saudi government-owned airliner, is one of the major airlines operating in Bangladesh since 1970s and its 12 weekly flights fly to Riyadh, Jeddah, Medina and Dammam.

    In 2007, Saudia carried a total of 402,346 passengers flying between Dhaka and the major cities of the kingdom, boosted by a record number of overseas jobs for Bangladeshis.