Another Saudi low-cost airline, Flyadeal, has applied for government approval to operate flights to Pakistan.
Saudi Arabia attracts thousands of Pakistani visitors each year, including workers and those traveling for the Umrah pilgrimage in Makkah and Madinah.
Flyadeal, owned by Saudia also known as Saudi Airlines, has submitted its application to the Ministry of Aviation to initiate direct flights between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Based at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Flyadeal is a budget airline established by Saudia. It began operations on September 23, 2017, initially serving domestic routes within Saudi Arabia.
In related developments, the private Pakistani airline Air Sial recently launched weekly flights between Islamabad and Riyadh, with two flights scheduled each week.
The airline announced that flights from Lahore to the Saudi capital will be introduced soon.
In a statement shared with reporters on Sunday, Air Sial confirmed the new Islamabad-Riyadh route, while its management indicated plans to expand services from Lahore in the near future.
The airline’s regional office in Riyadh was inaugurated on Thursday by Pakistan’s Welfare Attaché, Rana Muhammad Masoom, in a ceremony attended by Air Sial’s country and regional management as well as community members.
