Air France to Return to Riyadh, Strengthens Ties with Saudia
Air France will resume direct flights between Paris and Riyadh in summer 2025 after a six-year hiatus, alongside expanding its partnership with Saudia to enhance air connectivity in Saudi Arabia.
Photo Source: PYOK
Air France is expanding its presence in Saudi Arabia by launching nonstop flights between Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport (RUH) starting summer 2025. This marks Air France’s return to the Saudi market after a more than six-year gap, following the suspension of its services in 2019.
The new route will be supported by the Saudi Air Connectivity Program, aimed at enhancing tourism by increasing air links with key destinations. This expansion is part of a broader strategy by Air France-KLM, which already operates services to Riyadh and Dammam via KLM, and will soon see Transavia France, a low-cost subsidiary, add flights to Jeddah from Paris Orly and Lyon.
In addition to the new services, Air France-KLM and Saudia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to expand their existing partnership. The MOU will deepen codeshare and interline agreements between the two airlines, particularly on routes between Saudi Arabia, France, and the Netherlands. The collaboration also includes joint operations initiatives at key airports and the possibility of a joint venture for maintenance services on GEnx engines used in Boeing 787 aircraft.
With this development, Air France-KLM’s growth in the Saudi market is reinforced, further supporting the kingdom’s goal of becoming a leading global destination.
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