Reports claim Saudi Arabia is considering building a brand new international airport in its capital Riyadh and creating an airline to cater for tourists and foreign business travellers. The current flag carrier, Saudia Saudi Arabia Airlines would then focus on transporting pilgrims to and from Mecca from its base in Jeddah.
The kingdom’s multi-billion-dollar sovereign wealth fund has confirmed its intention to invest in the aviation sector but a spokesperson declined to confirm a Bloomberg report about a new airport and international airline.
Apart from pilgrimages, Saudi Arabia was one of the hardest countries for tourists to visit before September 2019 when the powerful and oil-rich Middle East country finally introduced tourist visas.
The change was spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman who hopes to make luxury tourism a significant part of Saudi Arabia’s economy in the years ahead.
But just months after finally opening to the outside world, the country quickly suspended tourist visas in February 2020 and then almost completely closed its borders as the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
Saudia Arabia plans to resume tourist visas soon, officials said last month with plans for the country to welcome 100 million visitors and tourism to contribute around 10 per cent to the gross domestic product within 10 years.
Few details are known about the new airport or the new airline which would also likely be owned by the government. Saudia owns a fleet of 144 aircraft and flies from both Riyadh and Jeddah. The country also has two low-cost carriers, one of which is a subsidiary of Saudi, and is well served by big regional rivals like Emirates and Qatar Airways.
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