Saudia Announces Birmingham and London Gatwick from Jeddah

Both Birmingham and London Gatwick now have flights to Jeddah, according to Saudia. Both were anticipated to start. The Middle Eastern behemoth will now provide service to Birmingham, Gatwick, Heathrow, and Manchester airports via six routes. Although its UK operation has lately expanded significantly, Riyadh, which currently offers triple-daily Heathrow flights, will eventually switch to startup Riyadh Air.

Although Saudia had previously identified the city in the UK’s Midlands as a goal, flights are now on sale and information is available. It will run three times each week starting on 2nd July using the 298-seat 787-9.

The route will attract traffic from churches and people visiting friends and family. Saudia will primarily focus on Birmingham-Pakistan (hugely impacted by the continuing absence of Pakistan International) and greater Saudi Arabia, in addition to the point-to-point Birmingham-Jeddah market, including during the Hajj (26th June – 1st July this year). There will also be a role for Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, and other nations. Of course, Emirates and Qatar Airlines are also major targets, with Saudia appearing to compete for more on pricing.

Gatwick began operations on 1st June, reportedly as a result of a shortage of Heathrow slots. The brand-new route will begin as a six-weekly schedule but increase to daily service in August. It will use 787-9s and have the same international destinations as Birmingham. Gatwick is not bookable in winter, according to Saudia’s website, although Birmingham is.

This summer, Saudia will fly to Birmingham alongside Emirates and Qatar Airways as the third airline from the Middle East. They will each have a maximum of four flights.