“Tabuk will be the sixth Saudi city to operate direct flights to Egypt after Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Madinah and Abha,” he said, adding that the move was in line with Saudia’s strategy to promote its network of international flights according to air traffic requirements and economic feasibility.

Al-Fahad said Saudia presently operates flights to three stations in Egypt, namely Cairo, Alexandria and Sharm El-Sheikh. There would be three weekly flights from Tabuk to Cairo and vice versa on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. “The flight from Tabuk will take off at 11.15 a.m., reach Cairo at noon local time and depart from there at 1 p.m. to arrive in the Kingdom at 3.40 p.m.,” he said. Saudia carried more than 1.8 million passengers between the Kingdom and Egypt in 2014.