Flydubai is first UAE airline to offer flights to Saudi Arabia's futuristic Neom

The airline will operate two weekly flights between Dubai and the $500 billion smart city in the north-west of the kingdom

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  Trojena will open in 2026 as part of Saudi Arabia's megacity of the future. Photo: Neom

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  Trojena is designed to attract visitors, holidaymakers and winter sports enthusiasts from around the world. PA

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  The design plan for Trojena, an area in Saudi Arabia's planned megacity of Neom chosen to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games. AFP

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  The Line is also being built at Neom. It will be free of cars and streets and have zero carbon emissions. Photo: Neom

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  Neom chief executive Nadhmi Al Nasr said The Line would make use of artificial intelligence technology to the fullest. Photo: Neom

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  Neom city will be powered by clean energy, officials say. Photo: Neom

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  Trojena in Neom will host the first outdoor snow skiing destination in the GCC region. Photo: Neom

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  Neom lies in a desert bordering the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia. Reuters

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  Architects say Neom will be designed to make the most of its environmental surroundings. Photo: Neom

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  Andrew McEvoy, sector head for tourism at Neom, at Arabian Travel Market held at Dubai World Trade Centre. Pawan Singh / The National

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  The $500bn Neom project in the Tabuk Province of north-western Saudi Arabia is supported by the kingdom's Public Investment Fund. Photo: Saudi Commission for Tourism and Natural Heritage

Flydubai will launch direct flights to Neom on March 2, becoming the first UAE airline to connect Dubai to the futuristic smart city in north-western Saudi Arabia.

Flights to Neom Bay Airport will operate twice a week from March 16, on Thursdays and Sundays.

Departing from Dubai International Airport's Terminal 2, flights will have a journey time of just under three hours.

Flydubai joins Saudia — the national airline of Saudi Arabia — as the only other airline operating regularly scheduled commercial flights between Neom and Dubai.

Trojena is one of four major projects that will open at Neom. Photo: Neon

Due to open in 2025, Neom is a $500 billion smart city that will be powered entirely by clean energy.

To date, four major projects within Neom have been announced — including The Line, mountain-destination Trojena, research and Innovation district Oxagon and Sindalah — a luxury yachting and golfing destination.

The destination aims to attract travellers from around the world. About 40 per cent of the world's destinations are accessible within about a four-hour flight time from Neom Bay Airport, which was constructed to serve the multibillion-dollar gigaproject.

Flydubai is also expanding its network to other destinations across Saudi Arabia.

It is launching three weekly flights to Najran, a city in south-western Saudi Arabia, on March 18, and will operate twice-weekly services to Al Qaisumah in the kingdom's eastern province from March 21.

Flydubai will operate four weekly flights to the lush port city of Jizan from April. Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP

In April, the low-cost airline will also launch four weekly flights to Jizan, a port city in the country's south-west, along the Red Sea coast. It is famous for its lush landscapes and tropical produce.

“Flydubai remains committed to opening up underserved markets and so we are pleased to offer our customers more options for travel with the launch of these four destinations,” said Hamad Obaidalla, chief commercial officer at flydubai.

“As Saudi Arabia continues on its path of economic growth and investment in developing its tourism sector, we look forward to offering passengers from the UAE and around our network the opportunity to explore more of the country.”