All-premium airline targeting London among six international destinations from Saudi

All-premium airline BeOnd is targeting London and five other cities with flights from Saudi Arabia.

The carrier, which operates single aisle Airbus A321 aircraft with 68 lie-flat seats, aims to expand operations from Red Sea International Airport (RSI) after introducing a route to Milan last November.

London, Paris, Moscow, Milan, Munich, Zurich are on the radar for direct services as part of a proposal signed with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the Farnborough International Airshow.

John Pagano, group chief of Red Sea Global, the developer behind a major tourism destination development around the airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, said: "Our announcement of beOnd’s Milan route last year demonstrated the strong demand for direct premium access to the Red Sea. 

“Today’s agreement builds on that momentum by expanding our European network and bringing our destinations within easier reach of travelers from key source markets.

“This is another important step in accelerating the growth of regenerative tourism and welcoming more guests to experience a destination unlike any other."

BeOnd chairman and and chief executive Tero Taskila said the signing of memorandum of understanding with the country’s air connectivity programme represented an “important milestone” in the airline’s long-term partnership with Saudi to support its aviation and tourism ambitions.

The launch of new direct flights would build on the introduction of the first connection between Europe and the Red Sea Airport with the Milan service and mark the next phase of beOnd’s long-term expansion and multi-destination growth strategy, he noted.