Despite the rapid expansion of Saudi Arabia's aviation network and the increase in international destinations connected to the kingdom's airports, around 130 countries and international markets remain without regular direct flights from Saudi Arabia, according to an analysis of the current operational map compared to the number of countries worldwide.

Scheduled flight data indicate that Saudi airports are directly connected to only about 65 foreign countries, while the remaining countries rely on flights with one or more stopovers. The figure remains approximate due to schedule changes between summer and winter seasons, as well as the opening or suspension of routes.

A distinction must be made between the number of destinations and the number of countries; Saudi Arabia may be connected to multiple cities within a single country. The number of international destinations can exceed 170 cities and airports, while the number of connected countries remains much lower.

Africa tops the list

Africa is the continent with the largest number of countries not directly connected to Saudi Arabia, as flights reach only about 14 out of 54 countries, meaning that nearly 40 African countries lack a regular direct route.

Prominent among these countries are: South Africa, Tanzania, Seychelles, Ghana, Senegal, Rwanda, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Mauritania, and Chad.

South Africa, Tanzania, and Seychelles stand out as important tourism markets that could represent future expansion opportunities.

26 European countries without flights

In Europe, Saudi Arabia is directly connected to about 18 countries, while nearly 26 remain outside the network.

Prominent European countries without regular direct flights include: Portugal, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Belgium, Croatia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Malta.

The list may change in some seasons with the operation of temporary summer flights to several European destinations.

Two entire continents outside the network

There are currently no regular direct passenger flights from Saudi Arabia to any country in South America, which includes 12 countries, among them Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Similarly, the kingdom is not directly connected to any country in Oceania, including Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea.

Travelers to these markets rely on intermediate hubs, most notably Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, and some European and Asian airports.

Asia has the smallest gap

Asia is the continent most connected to Saudi Arabia, thanks to the high density of flights to the Gulf, India, Pakistan, Turkey, and South and East Asian countries.

However, some countries remain outside the network, such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Mongolia, Bhutan, Brunei, East Timor, and Turkmenistan.

Japan is expected to join the direct flight network with the launch of the Riyadh–Tokyo route in November 2026.

In North America, direct flights are limited to the United States and Canada, while Mexico and Central American and Caribbean countries are absent.

With the expansion of Saudia, flynas, and flyadeal, and the entry of Riyadh Air, the list of unconnected countries is expected to gradually shrink, especially in Africa and East Asia, as part of the kingdom's target to reach more than 250 international destinations by 2030.