Air France-KLM has announced plans to expand its footprint in Saudi Arabia, with the upcoming launch of a new service between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Riyadh, operated by Air France, during the summer of 2025.
The announcement followed the signing of an agreement between Air France-KLM and the Saudi Air Connectivity Program, in the presence of Deputy Minister of Tourism for International Affairs Sultan AlMusallam. It comes a few days before Transavia, the low-cost arm of Air France-KLM, launches services to Jeddah from Paris-Orly and Lyon.
Enhancing connectivity
With these new services, all three airlines of the Air France-KLM Group (Air France, KLM and Transavia) will be serving the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as KLM already flies to Riyadh and Dammam on departure from its hub at Amsterdam Schiphol airport. Moreover, Air France-KLM is supported in these developments by the Saudi Air Connectivity Program, a government program.
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“Saudi Arabia is rapidly emerging as a world-class destination and a key gateway. We are delighted to support the Kingdom in this new chapter by expanding our connections and strengthening our existing ones, and thank the Saudi Air Connectivity Program for its valuable support,” said Air France-KLM chief executive Benjamin Smith.
Air Connectivity Program chief executive Majid Khan stated: “We are delighted to welcome Air-France to the Kingdom, as part of our wider efforts to increase air connectivity to key destinations and ensure travel to the Kingdom is a seamless experience. Air connectivity holds immense potential to boost tourism development. The commencement of direct flights from Air France-KLM between King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh and Charles de Gaulle, Paris from Summer 2025 will enable the two-way flow of thousands more tourists between our two great countries.”
Air Connectivity Program
The Saudi Air Connectivity Program was established in 2021 to streamline market entry and promote expansion opportunities for air travel partners in the Kingdom. Thus, through the development of new routes, the program aims to position Saudi Arabia as a global leader in tourism air connectivity.
Alliance with Saudia
The Air France-KLM Group and Saudia, the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, have also signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) that lays the foundation for a strengthened cooperation in the fields of passenger transport and aircraft maintenance.
The signing took place at the Saudi-French Investment Forum in Riyadh, (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), in the presence of Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic.
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Already partners within the SkyTeam alliance, Air France-KLM and Saudia aim to foster stronger ties in order to improve connectivity between their home markets of France, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia, and enhance MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) cooperation.
Under this agreement, Air France-KLM and Saudia will significantly expand their existing codeshare and interline commercial agreements, thereby providing customers with more travel options between and beyond their respective hubs. The agreement also includes initiatives to optimize operations and improve customer experience, notably through terminal co-location at key airports.
“Saudia is a historic partner of Air France-KLM,” said Benjamin Smith. “In the context of Saudi Arabia’s fast-paced development, we see a mutual interest in expanding our commercial cooperation and pooling our expertise, notably in the strategic MRO activity. Air France Industries-KLM Engineering and Maintenance is already a leader in the field, and further cooperation with Saudia will unlock additional opportunities in the country and in the region,” he added.
