Saudi Arabian Airlines says it will suspend all flights to and from Toronto as part of an ongoing dispute between the Saudi Arabian government and officials in the Trudeau government in Ottawa.

Saudi Arabian Airlines, via the official Saudi Press Agency, announced Monday it will suspend all flights to and from Toronto as of Monday Aug. 13, the Globe and Mail reported. The airline also is known as Saudia.

Officials said they would cover cancellation fees, issue refunds and find alternative flights for stranded travellers, according to a story on the CBC National website.

The action comes after Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and other Canadian government officials last week made public requests for the immediate release of civil-rights activists in Saudi Arabia and signalled they were concerned about recent crackdowns on dissidents in the Mideast country.

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia expelled Canada’s ambassador and recalled its own ambassador from Ottawa. Saudi government officials also froze new trade deals with Canada and said Canadians were interfering in their domestic affairs.

The Saudi government also is canceling its funded scholarships for almost 12,000 students in Canada. Plans apparently are underway to transfer the students and their dependents to other countries, including Britain and the United States.