JEDDAH: The operation of international flights between Yanbu and Cairo is likely to reduce the number of passengers traveling by ship between Dhuba and Safaga ports, analysts said.
They claimed the airfare for a flight between the two cities was SR900, the lowest fare for an international flight. This would encourage many people to travel by plane instead, they added.
The Cairo-based Almasria Universal Airlines launched international flights to Yanbu’s Prince Abdul Mohsen Airport on Thursday, with capacity for 158 passengers.
The Yanbu-Cairo flights target mainly Egyptian expatriate workers in the Kingdom and Saudi tourists intending to visit Egyptian resorts.
The number of passengers on this route is expected to increase during Haj and Umrah seasons as well as in the summer. Khaled bin Abdullah Al-Khaibary, spokesman for the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), said his organization has given a license to operate one flight daily between the two cities.
“This could be increased to four, considering the intensity of traffic between Yanbu and Cairo,” he told Arab News.
“The operation of international flights between Cairo and Yanbu comes as part of a new strategy adopted by the GACA to attract foreign airlines and enable Saudi airports to become self-sufficient financially,” he said.
Al-Khaibary said the Yanbu airport, which was expanded recently, has made all arrangements to receive international passengers.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah opened the newly expanded airport in July this year.
The airport is designed to handle 500 passengers every hour and receive large aircraft such as Boeing 747s and Boeing 777s. It has two air bridges to take passengers directly to the aircraft.
