Red Sea Airports

13 January 2025 | Blog #16

In this blog, I explore two airports in the Middle East that were inaugurated in recent years and are highly likely to draw significant attention soon. As is widely known, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been investing heavily in multiple megaprojects in recent years. One of these projects is Neom. 

Neom is an ambitious megaproject initiated by Saudi Arabia as part of the country's Vision 2030—a strategy aimed at diversifying its economy away from oil dependency. Announced in 2017, the project seeks to create a futuristic region that integrates technology, innovation, and sustainability. 

Neom is located in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, along the Red Sea coast, near the borders of Egypt and Jordan. The region spans approximately 26,500 square kilometers. Among its visions and objectives are the development of a highly advanced, technology-driven city and the promotion of industries such as biotechnology, energy, mobility, robotics, water, and tourism. Several core projects within Neom will make this area a unique destination. These include The Line (a futuristic, linear city without cars), Oxagon (a floating industrial hub), Trojena (a mountain tourism project), and Neom Bay (a coastal area focusing on tourism and residential developments). The entire project is estimated to cost over $500 billion. 

To enable easy access to the region, Neom Airport (NUM) was constructed and inaugurated in 2019. The airport features a single runway (15/33) with a length of 3,757 meters and is one of four airports planned for the city. Due to its proximity, it competes with Sharm el-Sheikh Airport (SSH) in Egypt, which is just 89 km away. NUM currently serves both domestic and international destinations, with a route network covering 9 destinations: 4 domestic (Dammam, Jeddah, Medina, and Riyadh) and 5 international (Cairo, Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, and London - for a detailed route map have a look at the map shown below the article). Saudi Arabian Airlines dominates operations at NUM, serving 8 destinations. Other carriers include Flyadeal, flydubai, and Qatar Airways. According to statista.com the airport handled appr. 140,000 passengers in 2023. 

Further south, also along the Red Sea coast, another new airport was recently built: Red Sea Airport (RSI). Opened in September 2023 and thus younger than Neom Bay Airport, RSI serves as the primary gateway to the Red Sea Project and Hanak. The Red Sea Project is a tourism megaproject developed as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 program. Upon completion in 2030, it is expected to include 50 hotels with 8,000 rooms and over 1,000 residential properties across 22 islands and 6 inland sites. RSI features a single runway (15/33) with a length of 3,700 meters and has the additional capability to serve amphibious seaplanes via a dedicated water runway. 

Currently, domestic flights from RSI are provided to Dammam, Jeddah, and Riyadh, with services launched in 2023 by Saudi Arabian Airlines and flynas. Dubai recently joined the list as the first international destination, served by flydubai. According to statista.com the airport handled appr. 11,000 passengers in 2023. 

These developments raise the question: Will both airports soon connect to European airports as leisure destinations, competing with Egyptian hotspots like Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh, and Marsa Alam? Could Turkish Airlines act as an incubator for establishing the first European links? Or will European leisure carriers like Condor, Edelweiss, Neos, Smartwings, TUI Fly, or even easyJet and Wizz Air be the first to serve these destinations? Alternatively, could the route development rely heavily on Saudi carriers, which can cover both leisure and low-cost markets? 

Let me know your thoughts on these recent developments and the future potential of these destinations—either in the comments (LinkedIn) or via email. 

Photo Credit: freepik, Great Circle Mapper