The recently completed Red Sea International Airport (RSI) in Saudi Arabia will receive its first international flight on April 18 from Dubai.
FlyDubai, a budget carrier, will start twice-weekly flights from the UAE to the quickly rising Red Sea location. Flag carrier Saudia has been operating domestic services since the airport’s opening in September 2023.
With the inauguration of FlyDubai, there will now be eight weekly flights to RSI. Separately, the Dubai-based airline announced that it would resume flights to Al Jouf airport beginning April 18.
“We are looking forward to truly opening up to the world and welcoming visitors from the UAE, wider Middle East region and beyond,” Red Sea Global CEO John Pagano said in a statement.
RSI plans to serve one million guests per year at full capacity. Pagano said, “Our inaugural flight just six months ago was the start of our journey towards reaching that goal, and this first international flight is a further step in making Saudi Arabia one of the top tourism destinations globally.”
RSG is owned by the Saudi wealth fund PIF, which oversees the entire Red Sea and Amaala development.
Pagano told reporters in November 2023 that while RSG worked to complete the other 13 resorts of phase one in 2024 and 2025, a Dubai-bound service was expected, but he did not name the airline at the time.
The giga-project destination now has two resorts open: Six Senses Southern Dunes and the St. Regis Red Sea Resort.
Three more resorts are set to debut in 2024: Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve; an overwater villa experience with Shebara; and Desert Rock, tucked between the mountains.
The airport, which will serve as the key hub for travel to the area, aspires to be the first carbon-neutral in the Middle East, from streamlining operations to eliminating and offsetting emissions.
These include using locally sourced materials, using 100% renewable energy, and reducing light pollution.
This dedication to environmental techniques extends throughout the project, which is powered by five off-grid solar farms totaling 760,000 panels and one of the world’s largest battery storage systems.
Upon completed in 2030, the project will include 50 resorts with 8,000 hotel rooms and over 1,000 residential buildings spread across 22 islands and six inland areas.
The resort also features luxury marinas, golf courses, entertainment venues, a variety of food options, and recreational facilities.
