On June 3, 2024, China Southern Airlines officially launched a direct flight route from Shenzhen to Riyadh. The flights are scheduled to operate every Monday and Friday using the Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft, with a flight duration of approximately 9 hours and 30 minutes. This is the first direct flight route from Shenzhen to Riyadh and the fifth direct flight route from Shenzhen to the Middle East.
The primary passenger sources for this route are business, labor, and tourism. The inaugural flight had over 200 passengers, with a load factor exceeding 80%. Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia and the largest city on the Arabian Peninsula, is China's largest trading partner in the Middle East and a key country in the "Belt and Road" initiative. The opening of this route will facilitate personnel exchanges between the two countries and further promote deep cooperation in trade, investment, science, and education.
In recent years, an increasing number of Chinese enterprises have ventured into the Middle East market, with Saudi Arabia being a key focus for development. Additionally, more Saudi enterprises are establishing various cooperative relationships in China. Consequently, Chinese airlines are actively developing direct flight routes to the Middle East. On April 27, 2024, China Eastern Airlines officially launched a direct flight route from Shanghai Pudong to Riyadh, operating three flights per week. According to China Eastern Airlines' data, in the month since its launch, the airline has operated 13 round-trip flights, with an average load factor of 76% and a peak load factor of 88%, transporting a total of 9,046 passengers, achieving excellent operational performance.
It is foreseeable that bilateral trade, tourism, and other exchanges between China and Saudi Arabia will reach new heights with the stable support of direct flight routes. These achievements will also positively reinforce the direct connection routes, realizing the ideal mutual enhancement of bilateral national strategic interests and the economic benefits for the airlines. In the new international landscape, China's national civil aviation network will support and promote the country's top-level design, closely follow, effectively interact, and advance hand in hand.