Gulf Air Launches First Flight to AlUla International Airport

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is targeting broadening air connectivity with various international and local destinations, and transforming AlUla into a global logistics hub in northwestern Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is targeting broadening air connectivity with various international and local destinations, and transforming AlUla into a global logistics hub in northwestern Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
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Gulf Air Launches First Flight to AlUla International Airport

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is targeting broadening air connectivity with various international and local destinations, and transforming AlUla into a global logistics hub in northwestern Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is targeting broadening air connectivity with various international and local destinations, and transforming AlUla into a global logistics hub in northwestern Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

Gulf Air, Bahrain’s national carrier, launched on Saturday its first-ever flight to AlUla International Airport, from where the company will operate direct Bahrain-AlUla flights twice a week, from February 3 to March 6, and from April 10 to April 27, on board Gulf Air A320neo aircraft.

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is targeting broadening air connectivity with various international and local destinations, and transforming AlUla into a global logistics hub in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Vice President of Destination Marketing and Management Office at RCU Rami Almoallim said: “We are pleased to welcome new visitors on their journey to AlUla, which offers a cultural and tourism experience."

He added that the inclusion of AlUla among Gulf Air’s main seasonal destinations for the current year is proof of the attraction this historic site has for tourists.

“This also helps our endeavors to facilitate access to AlUla as a destination via direct international flights from neighboring international aviation hubs," he added.

Several projects were carried out at AlUla International Airport in recent years to improve its services. The airport joined the list of international airports in March 2021. The total area of the airport was expanded to nearly 2.4 million square meters, and the airport’s flight deck can accommodate up to 15 aircraft at a time.

Enhancing aviation operations and developing the infrastructure of the airport aligns with AlUla’s goals of receiving two million visitors annually by 2035, utilizing a pioneering model of practical and sustainable tourism strategy.

Saudi airlines expanded the scope of its flights to AlUla International Airport linking it with Europe by operating flights with Paris, and adding international destinations to it, from Dubai, Doha, and Cairo.



World Food Price Index Eases in Dec, Pushed Lower by Sugar

A vendor arranges vegetables at a roadside market on a cold winter evening in New Delhi on January 2, 2025. (Photo by Sajjad  HUSSAIN / AFP)
A vendor arranges vegetables at a roadside market on a cold winter evening in New Delhi on January 2, 2025. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)
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World Food Price Index Eases in Dec, Pushed Lower by Sugar

A vendor arranges vegetables at a roadside market on a cold winter evening in New Delhi on January 2, 2025. (Photo by Sajjad  HUSSAIN / AFP)
A vendor arranges vegetables at a roadside market on a cold winter evening in New Delhi on January 2, 2025. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)

The United Nations' world food price index dipped in December against November levels, led lower by a drop in international sugar quotations, but still showed a robust gain year-on-year, data showed on Friday.
The index, compiled by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to track the most globally traded food commodities, fell to 127.0 points last month from a slightly revised 127.6 in November.
The November figure was previously put at 127.5, Reuters reported.
The December value was up 6.7% from 12 months previously, yet remained 20.7% below the all-time high reached in March 2022, FAO said.
For 2024 as a whole, the index averaged 122.0, 2.1% lower than the 2023 value, offsetting significant decreases in quotations for cereals and sugar with smaller increases in prices for vegetable oils, dairy and meats.
Sugar prices led December's monthly decline, dropping 5.1% month-on-month thanks to improving sugarcane crop prospects in the main producing countries to stand 10.6% below its December 2023 level.
Dairy prices declined after seven consecutive months of increases, losing 0.7% from November but still posting a 17.0% gain year-on-year. Vegetable oil prices dropped 0.5% month-on-month, but were up 33.5% on their year-earlier level.
Meat prices rose 0.4% in December from November and stood 7.1% above their December 2023 value.
The FAO cereal price index was little changed last month from November and was 9.3% below its year-earlier level, as a slightly uptick in maize quotations offset a drop in those for wheat, FAO said.
FAO did not provide a new forecast for global cereal production, with the next estimate due next month.