JEDDAH, 14 July 2005 — For those who have the money, now there is an alternative to Saudi Arabian Airlines on the Riyadh-Jeddah sector. From Saturday, a special VIP airline called Al Khayala will operate daily between Riyadh and Jeddah.
National Air Services (NAS) is the first private organization to be granted a commercial aviation license by the Presidency of Civil Aviation in Saudi Arabia, and Al Khayala will be the first privately operated scheduled airline service in the Kingdom.
According to NAS Chairman Khalil A. Kordi, Al Khayala will operate four scheduled flights per day between Riyadh and Jeddah from Saturday to Wednesday, along with charter flights on weekdays, weekends and official holidays to regional tourist destinations. Each round-trip will cost SR3,000.
Stressing his company’s commitment to the development of the aviation market in the Kingdom and across the Middle East, Kordi said his company plays a crucial role in that process by offering a wide range of innovative aviation services that have been tailor-made to suit the needs and requirements of its clientele across the region.
“The board takes pride in NAS’ achievements in the past few years when we have outperformed our business plan,” Kordi told a press conference in Jeddah on Tuesday. “We consider ourselves one of the building blocks in the development of aviation services in the Kingdom.”
NAS President and CEO Mohammed H. Al-Zeer said by launching the new Al Khayala VIP service, the company’s dream of bringing private aviation services and many of its privileges within the reach of first class passengers will become a reality. “The service will become their logical choice,” he said.
Al-Zeer pointed out that the Al Khayala service is being launched after extensive study of the market and its needs. “The company has carefully selected the most appropriate aircraft and reconfigured it to match the specific, unique requirements of passengers who will be traveling on this service.” he added.
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Al Khayala will operate Airbus A319 aircraft which are capable of being configured with up to 170 seats, and have only installed 44 luxurious seats, thus ensuring enough personal space to each passenger.
The launch of Al Khayala has focused the attention of industry experts worldwide on the Middle East, which has already witnessed the development of a number of creative new ideas, and particularly on the Saudi Arabian market, where NAS is writing a new chapter in the history of aviation. Experts believe Al Khayala will quickly move to the top of the list of new services in the region, as it is the first of its kind not only in the Middle East but also in the world.
Al Khayala is a recently developed strategic business unit within NAS which has been created to serve VIPs, businessmen and corporate/banking leaders whose business requires them to travel frequently between Riyadh and Jeddah. It has been designed to meet the needs of such travelers who are looking for a high-quality service that best utilizes their travel time and provides them with a pleasant atmosphere, while satisfying their own personal requirements which cannot be met by commercial airline services.
Al Khayala sales will be undertaken by a group of the largest, most respected travel agents in Jeddah and Riyadh, who have been designated as official Al Khayala SkyAgents. The group includes Portfolio Travel, the Al Tayyar Group, Al Faisaliah Travel and Tourism, Zahid Travel, Al Mousem Travel, Al Forsan Travel and ACE Travel. NAS will also be able to sell Al Khayala seats directly, through its offices in both Jeddah and Riyadh, its Al Khayala desks at the private aviation terminals and its website www.al-khayala.com.
The new service has been designed to provide flexibility for its individual, corporate and government clients who require either annual daily blocked seats or ad hoc seats. It will also extend to onground service, where Al Khayala passengers will be able to utilize luxurious private aviation lounges in all Al Khayala stations both within Saudi Arabia and abroad. In addition, Al Khayala passengers will be able to arrive at the terminal within a very short time prior to the flight.
Since its establishment in 1999, NAS has provided a growing range of services to the private aviation sector, which had been neglected for some time. The company currently provides a comprehensive service set in addition to Al Khayala, including its revolutionary NetJets Middle East Fractional Aircraft Ownership and Leasing Program, aircraft charter services, aircraft management solutions, operation support and project management solutions and a hybrid product which combines the benefits of each of these services into one unique package for Middle East customers.
NAS operates and manages the largest and fastest growing fleet of private aircraft in the Middle East region and one of the 20 largest worldwide. The company currently has a total of 28 aircraft of different types in its stable, including the largest fleet in the world of privately configured Airbus aircraft, along with Boeing, Gulfstream, Dassault and Raytheon models, and even Twin Otter aircraft employed in its medical evacuation service being operated for the companies undertaking gas exploration projects in the Empty Quarter.
NAS offers the unique proposition to Middle East customers of unparalleled international service through a truly local company, and prides itself on being able to offer flexible, unique, non-traditional total solutions to all private aircraft users, regardless of their requirements.
