Inside the Saudi Air Connectivity Program: The Route Boom Rewiring Tourism Demand

The impact shows up in network breadth and in how visitors can plan trips. ACP activity has established direct links from major global source markets to Saudi Arabia and improved the ease of arriving without relying on connections. In a regional travel context, the program’s leadership has pointed to travelers who first land in Dubai or Doha and increasingly add Saudi Arabia as part of multi-destination itineraries. That behavior matters because direct links and better schedules can convert “add-on” demand into primary demand, while also supporting short stays, repeat visits, and business-to-leisure travel patterns.

Where the New Routes Are Pointed—and Why It Matters

The program’s route strategy is aimed at high-potential origin markets and at segments with clear tourism spillovers. Direct flights from Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong are described as positioning Saudi Arabia for Chinese travelers. The program has also focused on European markets, including Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, where airlines are responding to rising demand with more frequent services. At the TOURISE Summit in Riyadh, ACP announced a new direct route between Milan Malpensa and Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea region, linked in coverage to the growth of luxury tourism along the coastline.

Capacity growth is also visible in airport activity and international reach. In 2025, Saudi airports recorded nearly 979,800 arriving and departing flights, an increase of 8.3% compared with 2024. Domestic routes accounted for 506,300 flights, while international services reached 473,500 flights. The number of countries linked through Saudi airports rose to 66. In the 2025 air connectivity index, the Kingdom ranked 18th globally, slightly below its 17th-place position in 2024. Together, these indicators reflect a system scaling both volume and global coverage.

Airline-level execution is reinforcing the network story. Riyadh Air began its first commercial services in June 2026, launching Riyadh–London Heathrow on 10 June 2026, then adding Riyadh–Jeddah on 14 June, a daily service to Dubai on 18 June, and two daily connections to Cairo by 25 June. For the northern summer 2026 season, it requested and was allocated 5,591 slot movements at Riyadh King Khalid International Airport, covering 15 destinations including Paris Charles de Gaulle and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi. Separately, in 2026 ACP and Saudia announced an increase in seat capacity across several international routes, framed as supporting demand growth and more flexible options for travelers.