Saudi Arabia and the Maldives on Tuesday inked here a joint venture agreement for promoting air traffic between the two countries.

Under the agreement, there will be 14 weekly flights between the two countries without restrictions on aircraft or seating capacity and 14 regular cargo flights a week.

It was signed on the Saudi side by Sulaiman bin Abdullah Al-Hamdan,president of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), and Moosa Zameer, minister of tourism of Maldives.

Speaking on the occasion, Al-Hamadan said that under the pact the two countries will work together to ensure safety, security and air transport standards. They will also strengthen cooperation in the aviation industry, in addition to the adoption of flight schedules, providing statistics and information on protecting the environment.

“Such an agreement between the Kingdom and the Republic of Maldives will strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries, especially in the field of air transport,” said Al-Hamdan.

He added: "This will eventually benefit the two countries economically, socially and culturally whereby direct people-to-people contact will improve, particularly with regard to Haj and Umrah, as well as tourism in a safe manner. Also products of the two countries will be boosted through this pact."

The agreement comes within the framework of efforts to promote air traffic between the two sides. It also seeks to contribute to the development of economic activity, and to encourage airlines to provide direct flights between the two countries.