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Riyadh Air News

Middle Eastern carriers reported a 14 percent year-on-year demand growth for air cargo in June, according to Iata

PIF plans new cargo airline to take on UAE and Qatar

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is planning to launch a new cargo airline to compete with the logistics dominance of the UAE and Qatar, a news report said. The sovereign wealth fund is in early discussions with Boeing and Airbus about purchasing or leasing freighters, Bloomberg reported, citing informed sources.  The proposed new cargo […]

Saudi Ground Services will provide ground handling services for all Riyadh Air flights at King Khalid International Airport

Riyadh Air awards $400m ground handling contract

Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s new national carrier, has awarded a SAR1.5 billion ($400 million) ground handling services contract in the kingdom as it gears up to launch operations next year. The 4.5-year contract, with an option for a two-year extension, was awarded to Saudi Ground Services Company, which trades on the Saudi stock exchange. Under […]

The Jabal Al-Qarah caves in Saudi Arabia. Bahrain was the top GCC source market, with 3.4 million tourists

GCC tourists spent $4bn in Saudi Arabia last year

Nine million visitors from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries spent more than SAR15 billion ($4 billion) in Saudi Arabia last year, as the kingdom expands its portfolio of tourism attractions. Bahrain was the top GCC source market, with 3.4 million tourists, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported, citing the tourism ministry’s annual statistics report. […]

2030 population forecasts for Riyadh have been revised in line with the scaling back of giga-project construction

Giga-project slowdown to hit Riyadh population growth

Riyadh’s population is unlikely to meet a growth target by 2030, when it is due to host the World Expo, as giga-projects are scaled back.  Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman set an ambitious goal for the population to grow to between 15 and 20 million in 2021. However it is now absent from the website […]

A Hajj pilgrim departs Saudi Arabia. Over 1.8m people took part in the pilgrimage in June, most of them arriving by air

Saudi air passengers up 17% in first half of 2024

Saudi Arabia had a 17 percent increase in the total number of air passengers in the first half of the year, rising to 62 million.  This was based on a 12 percent rise in total flights to 446,000, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said.  Air freight was also up, showing an increase of […]

hajj saudi arabia

Saudia reports big rise in international passengers

Saudi Arabia’s national carrier Saudia reported a 24 percent increase in international passengers to 9.1 million in the first half of 2024. There was also a 13 percent rise in the number of flights. The Hajj pilgrimage in June played a large part in the growth.  The number of passengers flying on domestic routes rose […]

Riyadh Air and Delta Air Lines are planning a non-stop service on Delta between the US and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh

Riyadh Air and Delta strike pact to expand network

Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s new national carrier, has struck an agreement with US carrier Delta Air Lines before its planned launch next year. The partnership will open new destinations in the kingdom and beyond for Delta flyers, including a future nonstop service on Delta between the US and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.  The […]

Middle East carriers have hundreds of aircraft on order – and need pilots to fly them

Middle East airlines in race to recruit as pilot shortage bites

A shortage of pilots is threatening the ambitions of the Middle East’s growing aviation industry, analysts have warned, forcing airlines to bolster their recruitment efforts. The global industry will be short nearly 80,000 pilots by 2032, according to management consultancy Oliver Wyman. The Middle East is projected to account for up to 18,000 of that […]