Alexandria Airlines has been launched as the first private carrier in the history of air travel between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Its first Boeing 737 flight landed at King Abdul Aziz International Airport of Saudi Arabia with 140 passengers on board over the weekend, reported the Saudi-based newspaper Arab News.
The new airline has a schedule of four weekly flights between the King Abdul Aziz International and Alexandria airports.
"Alexandria Airlines is the first private Egyptian aviation company to obtain approval from the Kingdom's General Authority of Civil Aviation," Fareed Al-Deaji, executive manager at Al-Balagha for Travel and Tourism, the local agent for Alexandria Airlines, was quoted as saying by the paper. The airline includes Boeing 737, Airbus and other aircraft. He added that flights would be scheduled every Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Wednesday.
"The next step will be to enable flights between Alexandria and other cities such as Riyadh and Dammam," he added. "This is part of the company's plans to expand to other Gulf destinations including Jordan, Kuwait and Syria."
Al-Deaji said Alexandria Airlines, established last year, would be operating two daily flights starting from mid-August to mid-October. These flights, flying between Alexandria and Jeddah will also transport Umrah pilgrims as well as other travellers.
He said launch of the airline between Alexandria and Jeddah comes at a time when air travel reaches a peak, especially since Egypt has remained the first destination for Saudi travellers. "This year has witnessed a 20 percent increase in comparison to the previous year for Saudi tourists travelling to Egypt," he said.
Alexandria Airlines' fares are competitive with cost being almost 50 per cent less than others and with reservations accessible telephonically and electronically.
Al-Deaji also stated that the number of travellers between the two regions was estimated to be more than 10 million annually. This would include Haj and Umrah pilgrims, tourists and workers.