Thanks for that information, Capetonian. And what a revealing statistic that is. Just 3 out of 192 booked passengers continuing travel beyond Saudi Arabia. WOW!!! So underlying demand for travel to Saudi Arabia itself is pretty strong to/from NW England (at the right price). And for FlyNas, there must be significant brand-awareness at the Jeddah end of the route. Maybe Saudia is winning on price?
One consideration which had crossed my mind … and it may be totally "out there", so feedback is welcome. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is fiercely proud of its role as the guardian of Islam's holiest sites. The emblems and logos on Saudia aircraft relate to the Qu'ran and each aircraft carries the slogan "God Bless You" on the front of the fuselage. The airline is an extension of the country's Islamic identity and ideals. It also reflects the Saudi Royal Family's Muslim values internationally.
As such, yield on fares may not be the only consideration at play here. Saudi Arabia is over 99% Muslim (excluding foreign guest workers). 85%+ of these are Sunnis, and many of those are Wahhabis - following a particularly devout, ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam. As such, the 'Five Pillars of Islam' govern every facet of life. One of these - Zakat - relates to charitable giving, a sacred duty to every Muslim of means. Another is Hajj - the sacred duty to make pilgrimage to the holy sites.
For a devout Muslim, there can be few greater gifts to another Muslim than to assist in enabling a less financially-able pilgrim to visit the holy sites. Saudia - an extension of the immensely wealthy and supremely devout Kingdom - is in a position to provide affordable travel to those holy sites. Commercial YIELD may not be the key driver in this case … putting the sacred duty of pilgrimage within the financial reach of additional devout Muslims could be a far greater consideration. It can form part of Saudi Arabia's gift to the wider Islamic community. Money is a total afterthought to religious obligations … Saudi Arabia has financed grand mosques in many other countries. Maximising access to the holy sites is considered an honourable religious duty.
Of course, whilst Saudia is an extension of the Islamic Kingdom, FlyNas is a private commercial concern (albeit owned by a reportedly wealthy backer). Perhaps they must provide fares governed by commercial returns rather than operating as a conduit to discounted sacred pilgrimage travel?
Certainly, Saudi Arabia deeply values its role as home to Islam's holiest sites. Is it a stretch to suppose that the state airline is subsidising pilgrimage travel to maximise numbers able to visit them? Observing the Five Pillars is absolutely fundamental to devout Muslims. Enabling others to do so is deeply honourable. It is perhaps a far greater consideration than maximising yield on economy ticket sales ...