British Airways has announced the relaunch of flights to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from November 2024, after a 5 year break. Making the news public at the GREAT Futures Initiative Conference in Riyadh, the carrier said the autumn would bring four flights a week, operated on Boeing 787s, from London Heathrow to Jeddah, with the aim of strengthening personal and business relations between the two countries.
Special fares to celebrate
To celebrate the occasion, British Airways says it is making special return fares available until 5 June 2024, starting from 1,905 SAR (around €470) in World Traveller (economy) and 16,079 SAR (around €4,000) in Club World (business class).
“We have a long history of connecting families, friends and businesses in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with our home in London,” said Colm Lacy, British Airways’ chief commercial officer. “There are significant opportunities for businesses in both countries, so we’re pleased we can re-build our connectivity and strengthen links between the two kingdoms.”
A lot can be accomplished in 48 hrs!💫 GREAT FUTURES Riyadh was a catalyst for change & progress, kickstarting a year-long programme of collaborations between UK businesses & counterparts in Saudi Arabia.🇬🇧🇸🇦 Two kingdoms coming together to shift opinions & build #GREATFUTURES 👏 pic.twitter.com/k2QSdGgOQX
— GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland Campaign (@GREATBritain) May 16, 2024
Experience an “untouched wonder”
Jeddah is widely considered Saudi Arabia’s most cosmopolitan city and the gateway to Mecca. The British flag carrier dropped services to the Red Sea port in 2021 amid losses due to Covid-19’s impact on aviation, which the firm called “the worst crisis” in its 100-year history.
Mazen Johar, CEO of Jeddah Airports, and Majid Khan, CEO of Saudi Air Connectivity Program, issued a joint statement hailing the “return of the UK’s flag carrier to Jeddah, with new flights from London Heathrow,” which they said would “further strengthen our air connectivity from the capital.”
They also noted the potential of the deal for Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan to diversify away from fossil fuel and drive forward its travel and tourism sector: “With British Airways’ leading network in the UK, Europe, and onwards to North America, travellers can experience an untouched wonder, Saudi Arabia, through one of the leading global carriers, further supporting our growing inbound tourism and aviation market.”
Bilateral trade up by a third over five years
In October 2023, targets for incoming visitors in 2030 were revised upwards, from 100 million to 150 million visitors. And earlier this month, the Saudi Kingdom’s General Authority of Civil Aviation trailed news of further plans to grow the Saudi aviation sector into a $2 billion industry and to develop the nation as a business and tourism destination.
In just one example, the Kingdom’s Saudia group recently signed the Kingdom’s largest ever aircraft order, for 105 new Airbus craft, in addition to existing orders. In addition, over 1,100 active licences have been awarded to UK investors alone, according to figures from the Saudi Ministry of Commerce, and over 60 initiatives are in place across 13 sectors, with trade worth £79 billion (€93 billion) between the two countries – that’s up by a third since 2018.
