Saudia, one of the major airline carriers in Saudi Arabia, is expected to launch 4 new routes, Beijing (China), Birmingham (UK), Johannesburg (South Africa), and Kano (Nigeria), this year.
The new routes are part of the Saudi government-backed Saudi Air Connectivity Program (ACP) to attract around 100 million tourists annually by 2030.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ACP, Ali Rajab stated that the air connectivity initiative will play a key role in boosting tourism as well as generating new opportunities for businesses.
CEO of Saudia, Ibrahim Koshy, remarked that the proposed routes will also increase religious tourism for Hajj and Umrah. So far, the exact launch date and the number of flights for the upcoming routes haven’t been announced yet.
According to reports, the Saudi government also plans to launch a new Riyadh-based airline under the national aviation strategy.
