Dubai to Neom: flights to Saudi Arabia's futuristic city to launch in June

Commercial international flights from Neom Bay airport to London are also on the schedule for Saudia Airlines

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Travellers hoping to visit Saudi Arabia's futuristic smart city Neom will be able to do so from next month.

That's because Saudia Airlines is launching the first commercial flights from Neom Bay Airport to Dubai in June. The weekly round-trip flight will be operated via aircraft sporting special Neom-Saudia livery, in an effort to showcase the megacity to the world.

Next on the agenda will be direct flights from Neom Bay to London, although no details have yet been released on when these international flights will begin operating.

Located in Tabuk, north-western Saudi Arabia, Neom sits at the crossroads of three continents. About 40 per cent of the world's destinations are accessible within approximately a four-hour flight time from Neom Bay Airport, which was constructed to serve the multibillion-dollar gigaproject.

Previously, the closest commercial airport to the megacity was Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt. Charter flights have been operating to and from Neom Bay Airport since 2019, with flight times of around two hours to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital city.

Saudia's weekly flights to Dubai will be the first regular international commercial services to the destination.

“This partnership is in line with Saudia’s ambition to support Saudi Vision 2030 by increasing passenger traffic domestically and regionally, as well as expanding our connections to global cities,” said Ibrahim Al-Omar, director general of Saudia.

"As Neom continues to progress, demand for travel to there is only increasing, making it a natural addition to our list of destinations.

Predicted to be home to millions of residents by 2030, people are expected to begin arriving in 2024, according to Neom's head of tourism.

Neom has been designed as a smart city, which will be entirely powered by clean energy. The city will be home to a number of tourist attractions, including miles of unexplored Red Sea waters and Trojena mountain destination, which will have a ski slope, mountain biking, watersports and an interactive nature reserve.

Saudia plans to operate direct flights from Neom Bay to select regional and international destinations, improving access to the city for those involved in building what's been billed as one of the most ambitious projects in the world.