Transport Rise in direct flights to Saudi Arabia as 12 airlines start services By Pramod Kumar October 9, 2024, 10:22 AM Alamy/Ayman Zaid Saudi Arabia’s geographic location allows access to Europe, Asia, and Africa within an eight-hour flight radius A dozen foreign airlines launched direct flights to Saudi Arabia in the first 10 months of 2024. In comparison, the global average is only two to four foreign carriers entering new markets annually, Air Connectivity Programme CEO Majid Khan told the state-backed Saudi News Agency. “This growth has helped increase inbound tourism and air traffic,” he added. Saudi Arabia’s Air Connectivity Programme aims to enhance the kingdom’s flight connections. Since its launch in 2021, it has led to developing more than 60 new direct air routes. Saudi Arabia’s geographic location allows access to Europe, Asia, and Africa within an eight-hour flight radius, Khan said, which offers multiple international options for airlines to establish routes to the kingdom. The programme has held over 100 meetings with global aviation leaders to explore new routes and enhance current ones, said its deputy CEO for commercial affairs Rashed Al-Shammari. “By 2030, the programme aims to establish more than 250 direct air routes and attract over 150 million tourists,” he said. Additionally, Ali bin Mohammed Masrahi, CEO of Second Airports Cluster Company, which manages 22 airports across the Gulf state, said the flight and passenger growth has been between 15 percent and 18 percent over the past year. Airlines suspend flights to Middle East Saudi Arabia promises more pilgrimage industry work visas Regional airlines will remain fluid in the Israel-Iran conflict Planned expansions at Al-Qassim and Taif airports, upgrades at Abha Airport, and the development of new airports in Jazan, Al-Baha, and Al-Jawf are expected to handle over a million passengers annually each, he said. In February, Saudi Arabia reported that more than 106 million tourists visited the country in 2023, surpassing its 2030 target. The kingdom now aims to attract 150 million annual visitors by the end of the decade Around 27 million international tourists spent SAR141 billion ($37.6 billion) in Saudi Arabia in 2023, the highest figure yet, the ministry of tourism said in August.