DUBAI, July 2 – Saudi Arabia plans to target international transit passenger traffic with its new national airline, going head-to-head with Gulf giants Emirates and Qatar Airways have launched a new front in the region’s simmering competition.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is pushing fiscal diversification to wean Saudi Arabia off oil revenues and create jobs, announced a transportation and logistics drive on Tuesday aimed at making the kingdom the fifth-biggest air transit hub.
Two people acquainted with the matter said the new airline would boost international routes and echo existing Gulf carriers by carrying people from one country to another via connections in the kingdom, known in the industry as sixth-freedom traffic.
The conveyance ministry, which has not released details of the plans, did not respond to a Reuters request for remark.
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