Direct flights to be launched between Russia and Saudi Arabia

Direct flights between Russia and Saudi Arabia will begin in October. Following talks with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that direct flights will help increase tourism exchanges and business contacts between the two countries. The minister noted that in 2024, Russians made more than 36,000 trips to Saudi Arabia, while the return tourist flow increased sixfold compared to 2023.

Sheremetyevo Airport has already included flights between Moscow and Riyadh in its schedule. Saudia Airlines will operate five flights a week - on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Saudi Arabian company Flynas has also received permission from Rosaviatsia. It will be able to fly between Riyadh and Vnukovo from August 1 to October 25. The schedule is planned to include four flights a week on Airbus A320 and A330 aircraft.

As a result, Russian tourists, pilgrims and businessmen will have the opportunity to get to Saudi Arabia on regular flights without transfers. Currently, in order to get to the capital of Riyadh, the large air hub of Ad Dammam or the popular tourist city of Jeddah, you need to fly with transfers. Most connections occur in Istanbul, Antalya, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Baku and Manama.