Persian step: Russia and Saudi Arabia are working on launching direct flights
The launch of direct flights between Russia and Saudi Arabia is already being discussed at the level of the kingdom's aviation authorities, the Russian Ministry of Transport told Izvestia. Saudi Arabia's Prosecutor General Saud bin Abdullah Al Muajeb Al Sharif stated that work on the resumption of flights between the countries is actively underway and is at the final stage. Meanwhile, the tourist flow is growing in both directions. In 2025, Saudi Arabia even entered the top three in inbound tourism to Russia, second only to China and Turkey. Tour operators note the increased interest in SA among Russians as well. About why the kingdom is becoming an attractive destination and how important the resumption of flights is for relations between Moscow and Riyadh - in the Izvestia article.
Will direct flights to Saudi Arabia resume
Work on the resumption of direct flights between Russia and Saudi Arabia is progressing. This issue is currently being discussed with the aviation authorities of the kingdom, the Ministry of Transport told Izvestia, noting that there are no concrete solutions yet.
Direct flights to Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam operated between Russia and Saudi Arabia until 2022. Muslims mainly flew from Russia for the purpose of pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, as well as employees of oil and gas and energy companies to maintain business and trade relations between the countries. Representatives of business in the energy sector also came to Russia from Saudi Arabia. We traveled, of course, for tourist purposes, as well as for cultural exchange.
After the introduction of Western sanctions, many countries have stopped flights with Russia. Although the kingdom did not impose direct bans, there were difficulties with logistics and routes. Despite the fact that Saudi Arabia does not align itself with sanctions and cooperates with Russia in OPEC+, due to certain restrictions, Russian airlines have faced problems due to the need to refuel and maintain aircraft.
— The key problem at the moment is the lack of guarantees from the KSA that Russian aircraft will not be detained at the request of third countries. Despite the fact that the country is not constrained by collective obligations (such as the EU), its strategic proximity to the United States poses a threat of constant pressure on Riyadh from Washington. To overcome this challenge, the country needs to develop and agree on its own mechanism of guarantees, which would exclude such a turn of events. The issue is quite complicated, although the likelihood of resuming flights in the medium term remains," orientalist Leonid Tsukanov told Izvestia.
Despite all the difficulties and limitations, the tourist flow in both directions is growing. A real breakthrough is being observed from Saudi Arabia. According to ATOR, in 2025, the country entered the top three in terms of inbound tourist flow to the Russian Federation with an indicator of 9.9 thousand tourists, second only to China and Turkey. And in terms of the growth rate of tourist traffic, KSA has become the absolute leader — plus 65.24% compared to the first quarter of 2024. The figures are really impressive: even before the pandemic, in the first quarter of 2019, only 210 tourists from Saudi Arabia came to Russia.
Russians are also showing interest in the kingdom. In 2023, travelers from Russia made 106 thousand trips to Saudi Arabia, which is twice as many as a year earlier. And with the onset of 2024, Russian tour operators noted a "tremendous" increase in sales of tours. It is now possible to fly from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Saudi Arabia with transfers in major cities of the region, for example, in Dubai, Sharjah, Cairo, Istanbul. The ticket price is approximately 40 thousand rubles, and the travel time, depending on the connecting city, takes from eight hours. Direct flights are planned to be resumed between the capitals to begin with, and airlines such as Red Wings and Flynas have already shown interest in transportation.
In general, Saudi Arabia is now actively developing as a tourist region in the Middle East. In this regard, the KSA is trying to transform itself faster and is taking measures to attract foreign tourists and diversify the economy.
— Russia is waiting for the start of full-fledged flights with this Persian Gulf country, as Saudi Arabia has made a significant breakthrough in the field of mass tourism in recent years. Concerts, football matches with the participation of world stars, Formula 1 are held in Jeddah, and in many ways the cultural component prevails there. The expected opening of a full—fledged airport and resorts on the Red Sea, the so-called Red Sea Project, has great potential as a beach holiday," Artur Muradian, ATOR's Vice president for outbound Tourism and CEO of the Space Travel tour operator, told Izvestia.
Russia's relations with the Persian Gulf countries
The opportunity to travel directly will have a positive impact on the development of tourism and business ties and will be an important step in relations between Russia and the KSA.
— Russia and Saudi Arabia cooperate on a wide range of issues, including advanced sectors of the economy. Riyadh is generally interested in deepening cooperation - stable contacts with the Russian Federation are important for it not only as an element of a multi—vector policy balancing the influence of the United States and China, but also as part of parity with its regional neighbors (the UAE), whose relations with Moscow have significantly strengthened in recent years, says Leonid Tsukanov.
Currently, Russia actively maintains ties with other countries of the Persian Gulf, including through the development of tourist exchanges. Direct flights have already been established with Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. A simplified visa regime is in effect with some countries of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, and the introduction of full visa-free travel is being discussed with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
— The countries of the Middle East occupy a strong second place in terms of the share of entry. If you look at the departure of Russian tourists, these are also leaders in the top 10. And the countries of the Middle East have a big important factor — it is a transit hub for our tourists, as we make transfers there, including to America and to European countries," Dmitry Gorin, Vice president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry, pointed out to Izvestia.
It is important to note that due to the "sharp aggravation" of the situation in the Middle East on June 13, the Federal Air Transport Agency banned flights of Russian airlines in the airspace of Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Iran. The order is valid until 02:59 Moscow time on June 26. Overnight, the Israeli Air Force attacked Iran's nuclear and military facilities, killing several high-ranking military and nuclear scientists. Civilian casualties are also reported. In response, Tehran launched hundreds of drones, and the President of the Islamic Republic, Masoud Peseshkian, promised a "powerful and legitimate Iranian response." Israel has completely closed its airspace and evacuated passenger flights at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.
The opening of direct flights and the removal of other barriers always remains an important step forward in bilateral relations. The possibility of developing tourism ties with the Persian Gulf countries in the current reality implies many positive aspects for Russia.
— In general, relations have been improving recently, especially in terms of some economic aspects. First of all, we are talking, of course, about Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Secondly, about the United Arab Emirates, and specifically about Dubai. This is due, for example, to the fact that in the UAE we supply various materials, logistics chains and all financial issues are also largely tied to the Emirates," Sergey Demidenko, associate professor at the RANEPA Institute of Social Sciences and an expert in Oriental studies, told Izvestia.
However, he added, cooperation with the Persian Gulf countries should not be overestimated. It is also necessary to take into account the economic and political attachment of these states to the United States and other Western countries. Nevertheless, they are already connected with Russia by stable and reliable economic relations, tourist exchanges and bilateral political interest.
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