Saudi Arabia awards two charter airline licenses

Saudi Arabia has granted national charter airline licenses to two consortia as it plans to reach 100 million annual visitors by 2030.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation (Gaca) awarded the licenses to alliances led by Jazeera Airways and BeOnd Aviation, the authority said in a statement.

The two alliances will be allowed to operate domestic and international charter flights to and from the kingdom’s airports.

The two consortia are expected to accelerate charter capacity and connectivity by 2030, serving 48 domestic and international destinations and adding around six million seats per year.

They are also expected to create about 1,000 jobs and operate a combined fleet of 21 aircraft, the statement said.

Both alliances include foreign investment with majority Saudi ownership, as required by the tender conditions. However, no details were given on the consortium partners.

Charter aviation helps meet high travel demand during peak periods such as tourism seasons, Hajj, Umrah, public holidays, major sporting events, and international conferences. It also supports flexible travel and private business needs.

“The aviation programme is opening the charter market to new operators, driving competition and attracting additional investment into the sector,” Awad Alsulami, executive vice president for economic policies & logistics services at Gaca, said.

“The tender awards mark an important step in diversifying our aviation offering and supporting the sector’s transformation, while expanding flexible connectivity options that meet the Kingdom’s growing travel needs,” he added.

In April, Gaca opened a public tender inviting companies to submit proposals to establish national charter air carriers in the kingdom.

The alliances will now start completing the requisite economic and technical licensing procedures to commence operations.

Gaca will continue to oversee all regulatory and compliance processes throughout this phase and will monitor financial performance, operational standards, and service quality once operations begin.

In July an alliance including Emirati low-cost airline Air Arabia won the bid to operate a new Saudi low-cost carrier operating from King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.

This month Saudi Tourism Authority’s chief executive Fahd Hamidaddin said the the kingdom was planning to launch three more airlines in its attempt to reach ambitious tourism targets.

Saudi Arabia introduced its National Tourism Strategy six years ago with targets of 100 million annual visitors by 2030. The goal has since risen to 150 million, including 50 million international arrivals, as airport capacity increases across the country.

The aviation sector handled 128 million passengers in 2024, up 15 percent from the previous year.