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Riyadh Air News

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 […]

The Aerotels will offer short-stay rooms for travellers

Airports consider ‘transit hotels’ for 6-hour stays

Saudi Arabia’s aviation expansion could stretch to transit hotels inside airport terminals where customers can pay for stays of less than the standard 24 hours.   A Hong Kong-based company is developing the concept in the Gulf, with hotels offering six and 12-hour stays already established in Jeddah and Abu Dhabi, and a Muscat hotel that […]

The joint venture agreement between Etihad and China Eastern is the first commercial one between a Middle Eastern airline and a Chinese airline

Etihad and China Eastern forge new network alliance

Etihad Airways and China Eastern Airlines have agreed to expand connectivity between the UAE and China. The UAE national airline and the Shanghai-based carrier signed a joint venture agreement – the first commercial one between a Middle Eastern airline and a Chinese airline – to jointly develop the routes. The move will broaden the network […]

The new Airbus aircraft will provide optimum fuel efficiency in line with the kingdom’s sustainability drive, said Flyadeal

Flyadeal confirms order of 51 Airbus narrowbody jets

Flyadeal, Saudi Arabia’s low-cost airline, has ordered 51 narrowbody Airbus aircraft to fuel its expansion plans. The carrier confirmed on Thursday it will receive 12 Airbus A320neos and 39 A321neos as part of the announcement by its parent company, Saudia Group, for 105 aircraft, the “largest deal in Saudi aviation history”.   Deliveries of the […]