SAUDI ARABIA: 50,000 Saudis To Visit Philippines For Summer Vacation

More than 50,000 Saudi tourists will be visiting Philippines for their vacations this summer, according to industry sources.

Airports across the Kingdom witnessed a huge of rush of travelers over the past two days as summer season began, Saudi Gazette reported.

In addition to various European cities, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates were other preferred destinations. Flights to major tourist areas in the Kingdom, especially Abha, were full.

Many people across the Kingdom were also headed to Makkah and Madinah to perform Umrah and pray at the Prophet’s Mosque as the holy month of Ramadan is imminent, the report said.

Philippines Tourism Ministry Secretary Ramon Jaminese reportedly said the ministry launched its tourism promotion campaign for 2016 after its great success in attracting tourists in 2015.

“A total of 83,546 tourists from the Middle East visited the Philippines in the summer of 2015. The rate of visitors increased this summer by 9.69 percent. Most of the Middle Eastern tourists are Saudis who number 50,884, followed by 16,881 Emirati tourists,” Jaminese further said, adding that the ministry is focusing on the retail sector to attract tourists.

“The ministry contracts with numerous travel and tourism agencies to provide alluring offers to tourists. The ministry aims to make the Philippines an exceptional tourist attraction. We have a variety of activities that are suitable for all ages. Filipinos are a welcoming and friendly people who are always happy to see tourists interested in their country,” Jaminese was quoted as saying by Saudi Gazette.

SAUDI ARABIA: SaudiGulf Airlines

SaudiGulf Airlines is a proposed start-up carrier planning to commence domestic services in Saudi Arabia on 01-Nov-2015 with a fleet of four Airbus A320 aircraft.

The airline was planning to launch in 1Q2015 but has encountered regulatory delays with Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation.

The airline reportedly intends to initially operate three to four times daily between Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah before expanding to Abha, Madinah, Qassim and Tabuk.

The carrier also plans to operate internationally to destinations in the Middle East and Africa.

The airline expects to take delivery of its first Bombardier CS300 aircraft in late 2015 or early 2016. SaudiGulf is owned by the Al Qahtani Group and will become the country's third domestic carrier, after Saudia and flynas.

QATAR: Qatar Airways Launches Eighth Route To Saudi Arabia

Qatar Airways has launched a new service to its eighth destination in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with four flights a week to Abha.

Qatar Airways flight QR1212, which landed at Abha international Airport yesterday was welcomed with a traditional water salute. At airport ceremony, Engineer Tariq Al-AbdulJabbar, Assistant Vice President of Domestic Airports welcomed the first Qatar Airways flight to Abha.

"We have been steadily growing our presence and services to Saudi Arabia for the past 18 years," said Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker.

"As our eighth destination in the Kingdom, Abha will bring additional flexibility for passengers connecting from Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. From Abha, our passengers will now be able to travel seamlessly through our state-of-the-art Doha hub Hamad International Airport to popular cities such as London, Paris, Bangkok, Singapore, New York and Washington. At the same time this will provide passengers travelling to Saudi Arabia from international markets the convenience of another gateway."

Qatar Airways began operations to the Kingdom in 1997 with non-stop flights to Jeddah. The airline has added Riyadh, Dammam, Madinah, Gassim, Ta’if and Al Hofuf to its portfolio of destinations, all non-stop to and from Doha, with connections to most of Qatar Airways’ destinations worldwide.

Qatar Airways currently operates 84 weekly flights to seven key cities in Saudi Arabia. The addition of Abha will increase the number of Qatar Airways’ weekly flights to Saudi Arabia to 88 non-stop flights.

The city of Abha is the capital of Asir, a south-western province in the Kingdom, rapidly gaining in popularity in the region as a tourist destination due to its attractions, its mild seasonal weather and breath-taking mountains.

SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Gulf Airlines And Al-Maha Airways Take-off Delayed

New domestic airlines — Al-Maha Airways and Saudi Gulf Airlines — have been further delayed due to technical reasons as the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) asked them to complete safety procedures in order to start operation next year.

“The two private airlines were supposed to begin their services this month but their flights were delayed because of technical reasons,” said Abdul Hakeem Al-Badr, assistant president for safety and transport.

He urged the two airlines to complete safety measures to receive the license.

“The two airlines have bought a fleet of aircraft required for operation in the Kingdom,” he said, adding that the first plane for Saudi Gulf Airlines would arrive by the end of this month.

“We expect the two operators to complete final procedures to get the necessary license, including safety measures,” Al-Badr told Al-Watan Arabic daily.

“The operation of the new airlines will not affect activities of the Kingdom’s hub airports,” he added.

Al-Badr disclosed plans to transform Hail Regional Airport into an international airport. “The expansion of its terminals has been completed. Hail has been selected to become a hub airport considering its strategic position. The project will be launched in the first quarter of 2016,” Al-Badr said.

He said Hail airport would give quick connections to Al-Jouf, Arar, Gurayat, Qaisuma, Turaif and Rafha, adding that it would receive 33 flights daily.

“We also intend to convert Abha into a hub airport considering the intensity of flights,” he added.

Meanwhile, Hail Governor Prince Abdul Mohsen opened an aviation conference in the city in the presence of Sulaiman Al-Hamdan, president of GACA on Tuesday. An exhibition is being held on the sidelines of the conference with the participation of 40 exhibitors.

Al-Hamdan said the hub airport system launched by GACA would serve domestic passengers to reach their destinations easily and improve aviation services.

QATAR: Qatar Airways Launches Doha To Abha In Saudi Arabia

Amongst other VIPs, the ceremony at Abha to mark the start of the four times weekly operation by the oneworld member from Doha was hosted by Qatar Airways SVP Aero Political & Regulatory Affairs, Ali Al-Rais, along with Engineer Tariq Al-AbdulJabbar, Assistant VP of Domestic Airports. The celebrations were followed by an exchange of gifts in the presence of local media.

Qatar Airways has launched a new service to its eighth destination in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) with four flights a week to Abha (AHB). The city of Abha is the capital of Asir, a south-western province in KSA. The inaugural flight from Doha (DOH) landed on 2 September.

“We have been steadily growing our presence and services to Saudi Arabia for the past 18 years,” said Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker. “As our eighth destination in the Kingdom, Abha will bring additional flexibility for passengers connecting from Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.

From Abha, our passengers will now be able to travel seamlessly through our state-of-the-art Doha hub Hamad International Airport to popular cities such as London, Paris, Bangkok, Singapore, New York and Washington. At the same time this will provide passengers travelling to Saudi Arabia from international markets the convenience of another gateway.”

Qatar Airways began operations to the KSA in 1997 with non-stop flights to Jeddah. The airline has since added Riyadh, Dammam, Madinah, Gassim, Taif and Hofuf to its portfolio of destinations and currently operates 84 weekly flights to Saudi Arabia. The new route will be operated by the airline’s 144-seat A320s with no direct competition.