The Air Connectivity Program in Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding with 'Beyond' airline, under the patronage of the President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Air Connectivity Program, Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, on the sidelines of the Kingdom's participation in the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, held in London from July 20 to 24, 2026.

The memorandum aims to explore cooperation opportunities in operating direct air routes linking the 'Red Sea' destination with London, Paris, Moscow, Milan, Munich, and Zurich via 'Red Sea International Airport,' thereby contributing to enhancing tourism traffic, expanding travel options, and supporting the Kingdom's goals of strengthening air connectivity with priority international markets.

Al-Duailej affirmed that this memorandum embodies the continuation of efforts to expand the Kingdom's air connectivity network by building strategic partnerships with international carriers, supporting the goals of the Aviation Program and the National Tourism Strategy, and enhancing the Kingdom's position as a global hub for air connectivity and tourism, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

He stated that this partnership contributes to exploring opportunities for operating new routes between the 'Red Sea' destination and European cities to facilitate the arrival of visitors from target European markets, enhance tourism traffic, 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 Executive Director of the Air Connectivity Program, Ahmed Al-Ibrahim, explained that this memorandum represents an extension of the program's efforts to attract international partners and launch distinctive routes connecting the Kingdom to target markets, stressing that the program continues to work with the tourism and aviation systems and airlines to expand the network of international destinations, stimulate the growth of inbound air traffic, and raise the Kingdom's competitiveness on the global travel map, achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

He stated that the cooperation with 'Beyond' airline 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 the Red Sea Global group, the developer of the Red Sea destination, John Pagano, explained that the announcement of the Milan route with Beyond airline 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 contribute to accelerating the growth of regenerative tourism and welcoming more guests.

The acting CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority, Abdullah Al-Haqbani, pointed out that air connectivity is a pivotal factor in developing tourism traffic and enhancing the competitiveness of destinations, and that this memorandum comes as an extension of the integration of efforts between the tourism and aviation systems to increase the Kingdom's presence in target 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, and cultural and entertainment activities, thereby 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 Directors of 'Beyond' airline, Tero Taskila, confirmed that signing the memorandum of understanding 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.

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