Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Working to increase air connectivity between Saudi Arabia and North Africa, the Air Connectivity Program (ACP) and flynas, Saudi Arabia's national airline and the leading low-cost carrier, have jointly announced the launch of direct flights between Jeddah and Casablanca.
Following the inaugural flight on August 3rd, flynas will operate three weekly flights between King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca, on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Tuesdays.
This route launch marks the 10th international air route introduced by the Kingdom in 2023 and comes as a result of ongoing discussions between the Kingdom’s air connectivity facilitator, ACP, and industry partners.
Building on their shared goal to facilitate travel to the Kingdom, ACP and flynas have strengthened their collaboration through an agreement signed back in April, with a focus on launching five new international destinations in Central Asia – a key priority market for enhancing the Kingdom's air connectivity.
ACP’s work supports Vision 2030’s goal of expanding international access to Saudi Arabia, enabling a robust inbound tourism market and achieving 100 million annual tourist visits by 2030.
“The collaboration between ACP and flynas stands as a testament that air connectivity can serve as a key enabler of Saudi Arabia’s economic growth and development. We are looking forward to supporting, enabling, and partnering with any global entity that is committed to enhancing the quality and frequency of air travel to and from the Kingdom, all while ensuring a warm and welcoming passenger experience every step of the journey,” said Ali Rajab, CEO of ACP.
As a valuable air travel partner in Saudi Arabia, flynas operates an extensive network that spans over 70 domestic and international destinations, with a frequency of 1,500 weekly flights.
“The launch of this new route reflects our commitment to expanding the Saudi air travel sector and providing affordable travel options to and from key international aviation destinations,” said flynas CEO and Managing Director Bander Al-Mohanna.
“Working alongside ACP and other ecosystem partners, we aim to further expand our reach by serving a total of 165 domestic and international destinations, aligning with the objectives of Vision 2030, and contributing to the increased air connectivity within the Kingdom.”
The launch of the new Jeddah-Casablanca route signifies deepening collaboration between Saudi Arabia and Morocco and follows the inauguration of the Saudi-Moroccan Economic Forum and Business Council in October 2022, which serves to enhance economic relations and raise the volume of trade between the two countries to $5 billion a year.
Looking ahead, ACP has outlined further ambitions to broaden Saudi Arabia’s aviation network, indicating earlier this year the upcoming launch of additional routes between the Kingdom and key international destinations in the second half of 2023 and the first half of 2024.
About the Air Connectivity Program
The Saudi Air Connectivity Program (ACP) was established in 2021 to contribute to tourism growth in Saudi Arabia by enhancing air connectivity and developing existing and prospective air routes, connecting Saudi Arabia to new destinations. ACP works at the intersection of tourism and aviation by bridging the stakeholder ecosystem to enable the National Tourism Strategy’s vision and establish Saudi Arabia as a global leader in tourism air connectivity.