New carrier SaudiGulf Airlines is set to soon begin operating flights in the kingdom as part of the country’s plans to liberalise its domestic aviation market.
The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has confirmed that the new airline will be awarded a national carrier licence on June 22, following a long-pending approval process.
The company has completed all the necessary conditions and requirements for an Air Operator Certificate (AOC), GACA said.
Owned by the Abdel Hadi Abdullah Al-Qahtani & Sons Group of Companies, Saudi Gulf Airlines will operate from the King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
It is initially expected to launch daily flights to Jeddah and Riyadh before expanding to Abha, Madinah, Gassim and Tabuk.
The airline also hopes to introduce international flights in the future.
SaudiGulf’s fleet includes four Airbus A320s with a further 16 CS300s on order from Bombardier.
GACA did not reveal any details about the second entrant to the market, Qatar Airways-backed Al Maha Airways, which is also awaiting an AOC.
Currently, national carrier Saudia enjoys the biggest share of the country’s domestic aviation sector, with low-cost carrier flynas the only other operator in the country.
