Saudi Arabia needs new airline for mega city

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Who needs three national airlines at once? Of course Saudi Arabia!

The Gulf country is investing billions to transform its economy from oil into new sources of income under the “Vision 2030”. Tourism plays a central role in this regard.

Just a few days ago, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman announced the creation of a second state airline called “Riyadh Air”. This complements the existing Saudia Airlines flying to Zurich and Geneva, among others. It seems that this is not enough: by the end of 2024, “Neom Airlines” will become another Saudi airline.

Four airports for the new planning area

Its name refers to the planned city of Neom, a new tourism destination in the northwest of the country, which cost $500 billion to build. Related mega projects such as “The Line” or the luxury island of Sindalah are under construction. Neom Bay Airport has been in operation since 2019 when an existing military airspace was renovated. So far, only Saudi destinations, as well as Dubai and London, are included in the flight plan offered by Saudia.

However, Neom Airlines is expected to bring tourists from all over the world to Neom in the future. Three more airports are planned for the project city, which is half the size of Switzerland. Including the mega airport Neom International, which should be there by 2030.

only the best of the best

It’s not entirely clear why Neom needs its own airline. Building an airline is expensive. Neom Airlines plans to replace leased aircraft with new and owned aircraft by 2026 at the latest. There are also marketing, personnel and operating costs. However, no expense is spared to gain superiority in aviation in Saudi Arabia. Saudia and Riyadh Airlines have already ordered 121 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in mid-March. And in the capital Riyadh, King Salman International Airport is a new mega airport expected to serve 185 million passengers a year from 2050.

So far, very little is known about Neom Airlines. The CEO is German Klaus Goersch (57), formerly COO at Air Canada and British Airways. According to him, the new airline should be “something never seen before,” but he only offers generalizations in his statement: catering from local manufacturers, sustainable materials on board, using as much biofuels as possible, cutting-edge technology on board, and 6G WiFi.

Will this be enough to replace the current leaders Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways? Despite all the country’s image problems, the Saudis can be trusted.

Source :Blick