The Minister of Tourism witnesses the signing of an agreement between the Air Connectivity Program and Virgin Atlantic

Ahmed Bin Abdulqader

• Virgin Atlantic marks the 10th airline to enter the Saudi market in cooperation with the Air Connectivity Program since the beginning of the year.
• The new route will begin operating in March 2025 with daily flights.

The Saudi Air Connectivity Program (ACP)and Virgin Atlantic (VS) have signed an agreement in the presence of the Miniter of Tourism, Ahmed Al- Khateb, during a special event held at the Ministry’s headquarters.

The agreement aims to enhance air connectivity between the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom by launching direct routes between Heathrow and Riyadh, facilitating access to various cities within Saudi Arabia. Starting next March, London Heathrow Airport will offer weekly flights to King Khaled International airport in Riyadh, operated by Airbus A330 aircraft.
Virgin Atlantic’s entry into the Saudi market marks the 10th airline to collaborate with the Air Connectivity Program (ACP) since the beginning of the year boosting efforts to enhance air connectivity in Saudi Arabia.
CEO of ACP Majid Khan, stated, “We are delighted to welcome Virgin Atlantic to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The launch of Virgin Atlantic flights between London Heathrow and Riyadh will further enhance our air connectivity, supporting the growth of international inbound tourism to Saudi Arabia from the UK and Virgin Atlantic’s North American network. As a SkyTeam partner, Virgin Atlantic will boost air connectivity alongside our flag carrier, Saudia, between Riyadh and London and beyond both hubs. We look forward to strengthening our partnership with Virgin Atlantic in the coming years and continuing to develop air connectivity to Saudi Arabia.”
CEO of VS Shai Weiss, said,” We’re excited to launch flights to Saudi Arabia as the Kingdom experiences fast-paced growth, driven by its ambitious Saudi Vision 2030, which will see it welcoming tourism and visitors on a huge scale.
We’re looking forward to introducing our UK customers to the country, with its rich culture and heritage and business centre. Our new services present significant opportunities to connect friends, relatives, and businesses, not just within the UK but also in the US, thanks to our partnership with Delta Air Lines.
Additionally, we will enhance our codeshare agreement with SkyTeam partner Saudia, further expanding connectivity across the region and beyond, while delivering new benefits to our loyal customers.
We are excited about the launch of this new route in 2025 and look forward to bringing the iconic Virgin Atlantic brand, our award-winning experience, and our exceptional team to new customers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
The Saudi Air Connectivity Program (ACP), under the Ministry of Tourism of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, aims to enhance air connectivity from unserved and underserved markets around the world to the Kingdom. ACP works at the intersection of tourism and aviation by bridging the stakeholder ecosystem to enable the National Tourism Strategy’s vision and establish Saudi Arabia as a global leader in tourism air connectivity.