Originally Posted by
crewmeal
If the Saudi route takes off, where will they fly from Jeddah or Riyadh? Considering the country is dry with some of the most strictest conservative laws I can't see it really working, apart from Mecca during the religious periods. Don't forget Saudi fly from Manchester as well.
So all good reasons why the MAN service shouldn't work?
The Saudi's have deep pockets and are spending big money on promoting tourism - as clearly stated in the press release posted by Matt995.
Saudi’s tourism ecosystem has an ambitious target of reaching 100m visits annually by 2030, with air connectivity being a central part of achieving this goal. Saudi Tourism Authority's strategy focuses on understanding consumer demand and identifying key source markets. These new direct flight routes have been launched as a response to the uptick in consumer demand from travelers looking to visit or transit through Saudi from Beijing, Birmingham, Kano, and Johannesburg