Gulf Air, Bahrain’s national carrier, has added seven flights to its existing schedule to Riyadh to meet increasing passenger demand.

Starting from Oct. 27, the airline will operate one extra frequency per day from Bahrain to the Saudi capital, increasing the number of weekly flights between the two destinations by seven, from 21 to 28.

Gulf Air’s decision to increase the frequency of its flights to Riyadh reinforces the airline’s strategy of strengthening its core network and maximizing convenience for its customers, Bahrain News Agency reported.

The report said passengers traveling between Riyadh and Bahrain who wish to conduct their business and return home the same day, saving the expense of a hotel, now have even more flexibility to do so. Furthermore, passengers traveling onward via Bahrain to other destinations in the Middle East, Europe and Asia, through Gulf Air and beyond to North America with codeshare partner American Airlines, now have access to more convenient connections.

Maher Salman Al-Musallam, Gulf Air’s acting CEO, said, “The introduction of additional flights between Riyadh and Bahrain emphasizes the importance we attach to Saudi Arabia, one of our key markets, and our business strategy to concentrate on high-demand point-to-point routes to ensure our core customer base is served effectively and efficiently.”

The departure and arrival times of the additional flights have been scheduled specifically to benefit international and regional business travelers. Customers from Riyadh now have over 200 weekly connections in less than three hours via Bahrain.

“I would like to thank Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation for their cooperation in securing additional traffic rights, permitting the additional frequency,” Al-Musallam added.