Riyadh, Safar 8, 1448 AH, corresponding to July 22, 2026 (SPA) – The Air Connectivity Program signed a memorandum of understanding with Beyond Aviation, under the patronage of His Excellency Mr. Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Duailej, President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Air Connectivity Program, on the sidelines of the Kingdom's participation in the 2026 Farnborough International Airshow, held in London from July 20 to 24, 2026. The MoU aims to explore opportunities for cooperation in operating direct air routes linking the Red Sea destination to London, Paris, Moscow, Milan, Munich, and Zurich via Red Sea International Airport, contributing to boosting tourism movement, expanding travel options, and supporting the Kingdom's targets for enhancing air connectivity with priority international markets. Al-Duailej emphasized that this MoU reflects the continuation of efforts to expand the Kingdom's air connectivity network by building strategic partnerships with international carriers, supporting the targets of the Aviation Program and the National Tourism Strategy, and strengthening the Kingdom's position as a global hub for air connectivity and tourism. He stated that this partnership contributes to exploring opportunities for operating new routes between the Red Sea destination and European cities to facilitate visitor access from targeted European markets, enhance tourism movement, and provide direct travel options according to the highest standards, supporting economic development and enhancing the Kingdom's attractiveness as a global tourist destination. For his part, the CEO of the Air Connectivity Program, Ahmed Al-Ibrahim, explained that this MoU represents an extension of the program's efforts to attract international partners and launch distinctive routes linking the Kingdom to target markets, stressing that the program continues to work with the tourism and aviation ecosystems and airlines to expand the network of international destinations, stimulate inbound air traffic growth, and raise the Kingdom's competitiveness on the global travel map, achieving the targets of Saudi Vision 2030. He stated that cooperation with Beyond Aviation reflects the program's commitment to developing sustainable air connectivity solutions that support promising tourist destinations, foremost among them the Red Sea destination, and contributes to increasing visitor numbers and creating economic and developmental opportunities for the Kingdom. The CEO of Red Sea Global, the developer of the Red Sea destination, John Pagano, noted that the announcement of the Milan route with Beyond Aviation last year proved the demand for direct access to the Red Sea destination, and today this agreement builds on that momentum by expanding the European network, bringing destinations closer to travelers, to accelerate the growth of regenerative tourism and welcome more guests. On this occasion, the Acting CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority, Abdullah Al-Haqbani, pointed out that air connectivity is a pivotal factor in developing tourism movement and enhancing the competitiveness of destinations, and that this MoU is an extension of integrated efforts between the tourism and aviation ecosystems to increase the Kingdom's presence in targeted European markets and expand access to unique tourist destinations, foremost among them the Red Sea destination, supporting the attraction of more international visitor segments and enabling them to enjoy the diverse tourism experiences that the Kingdom offers, including events, seasons, cultural and entertainment activities, enhancing the attractiveness of Saudi destinations and keeping pace with the rapid growth witnessed by the tourism sector. The CEO and Chairman of the Board of Beyond Aviation, Tero Taskila, affirmed that the signing of the MoU represents an important milestone in the long-term partnership between the company and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and embodies the company's commitment to supporting the Kingdom's ambitions in the aviation and tourism sectors. // End // 19:58 T M 0183