Riyadh Air, the new national carrier of Saudi Arabia fully owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), has announced the signing of a Strategic Cooperation Memorandum (MoU) with EgyptAir, the national carrier of Egypt headquartered in Cairo, on the sidelines of the recent International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Dubai.
Under the terms of this agreement, the two airlines will offer a wide range of exclusive benefits to passengers traveling between Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and from Egypt to other key destinations.
The signing of this MoU marks a significant step in the strategic cooperation between the two carriers, further strengthening the deep-rooted ties between Saudi Arabia and Egypt and their respective markets, paving the way for providing more travel options for the airlines’ customers.
The two airlines will work closely together to offer a variety of options for passengers traveling between Cairo and Riyadh,and will also cooperate in connecting a number of local and regional destinations in the Middle East and Africa.
Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air, said: “We are proud to sign this strategic partnership with EgyptAir, which we consider a significant milestone in our journey towards launching our first commercial flights in mid-2025.
This partnership will provide our passengers with a variety of benefits. Given its geographical proximity to the Kingdom, we see promising future prospects for air traffic between Riyadh and Cairo, which requires us to work together to meet the expected high demand for flights between the two destinations.”
He added: “Through this strategic cooperation, we will be able to provide more options for our customers traveling between Riyadh and Cairo and a number of other prominent destinations. This cooperation will also extend to the loyalty programs of both airlines and a number of other benefits and rewards that we look forward to offering to our passengers and guests.”
For his part, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of EgyptAir affirmed: “Entering into this strategic cooperation with Riyadh Air is a complement to the national carrier’s aspirations to target new markets and meet the needs of its customers.This partnership contributes to developing the scope of cooperation with EgyptAir’s partners, in addition to providing a distinguished travel experience for the customers of both companies.”