The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announced that a consortium including Jazeera Airways and another consortium including beOnd have won licenses to operate a local airline specializing in non-scheduled "charter" aviation, to run domestic and international flights to and from airports across the Kingdom.
This came during an official announcement attended by Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistic Services and GACA Chairman Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, and GACA President Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Duailej, according to a statement published on the authority's website.
Charter aviation will provide additional travel solutions by increasing seat capacity, enhancing competition and improving service quality, in support of the targets of the Aviation Program stemming from the National Transport and Logistics Strategy.
According to the authority, by 2030 the project will help serve 48 domestic and international destinations, with capacity of up to 6 million seats annually, and provide about 1,000 jobs, through a fleet of 21 aircraft, with foreign investment under majority Saudi ownership in both consortiums.
The announcement follows a public tender in which the authority received bids from several companies to establish a Saudi charter airline, with the awards going to the best bids that met all regulatory and technical criteria. The winning companies will begin completing the statutory procedures to obtain the necessary economic and technical licenses before starting operations.
The authority stressed that awarding two charter licenses reflects its commitment to the principle of transparency and to providing an attractive investment environment, alongside its regulatory and supervisory role in ensuring the quality of services provided to travelers, especially during peak operating seasons such as tourism seasons, Hajj and Umrah, public holidays, and major events and conferences hosted by the Kingdom.
To view the post on the website of the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation, click here.
