Nasair to Launch Riyadh – Istanbul

As reported earlier this year, Saudi Arabian low-cost carrier Nasair is to further expand its network in Turkey with the launch of a four times weekly Riyadh – Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen service from June 18. The link will accommodate the growth in demand from Turkish expats living and working in Saudi Arabia, as well as the more than half a million pilgrims who travel to Saudi Arabia each year from Turkey. It will be operated by Airbus A320 and Embraer 190 regional jets.

Approximately 313,000 O&D passengers travelled between the two countries last year on scheduled services with flag carriers Turkish Airlines (THY) (74.3 per cent) and Saudi Arabian Airlines (22.8 per cent) dominating the market. This summer THY and Saudia will both offer flights from Istanbul Ataturk to Jeddah, Madinah and Riydah. An estimated 51,000 O&D passengers travelled between Istanbul and Riyadh in the past year, up 29.3 per cent on the previous 12 months. THY dominates this market with a daily schedule from Ataturk but no-one currently offers flights from Sabiha Gokcen on the Asian side of the city.

The Turkish air travel market is one of the largest in the region from Saudi Arabia and Nasair is expected to grow further. It currently offers four direct flights between Jeddah and Istanbul each week, three weekly direct flights between Jeddah and Adana as well as twice weekly direct services between Antalya and Jeddah and Antalya and Riyadh. It now serves six domestic and 21 international markets.