United Arab Emirates (UAE) budget operator flydubai has confirmed that it will inaugurate flights between Dubai and Dammam, its sixth destination in Saudi Arabia. The carrier will introduce a daily connection to Dammam on July 17, adding to its existing links to Abha, Gassim, Jeddah and Riyadh.
Dammam is the country’s third largest city and marks flydubai’s debut in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, the most important oil producing region in the world and of substantial commercial and economic significance to international trade.
“Dubai and Dammam are two cities linked not just by language and culture but by growing economic ambitions,” said Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer, flydubai. “Our new route will not only provide travellers between cities with a quality and affordable option, but will also foster greater cooperation in the realm of business and trade, reinforcing existing ties.”
Almost 2,000 years old, Dammam attracts visitors for its historic and cultural attractions as well as its vast hydrocarbon reserves. An estimated six million visitors travelled to Saudi’s Eastern Province in 2009, from the local, regional and international markets. Dammam is also the headquarters of Saudi Aramco, the national oil company, which is responsible for almost 75 per cent of the Kingdom’s oil-based economy, so there is a large demand for business traffic.
In recent years, Dammam along with other cities in the Eastern Province – Dhahran and Al Khobar – has been working to build non-oil based facilities. It already has 40 tourism projects in the works and has established an industrial city that houses around 120 factories. Due to these developments, Dammam has grown into a centre of commerce and science. It is home to more than half a million people and attracts international experts, researchers, engineers, planners and developers on a regular basis.
An estimated 138,000 O&D passengers travelled between Dubai and Dammam in the past year, up 36.9 per cent on the previous 12 month period. Emirates Airline, Malaysia Airlines (as extension of its Kuala Lumpur flight) and Saudi Arabian Airlines already serve the route, while Nasair provides a low-cost option with four flights per week.
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