AlUla Airport Starts Receiving International Flights

AlUla International Airport begins receiving international flights. (SPA)
AlUla International Airport begins receiving international flights. (SPA)
TT

AlUla Airport Starts Receiving International Flights

AlUla International Airport begins receiving international flights. (SPA)
AlUla International Airport begins receiving international flights. (SPA)

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) announced on Thursday the approval of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) for AlUla International Airport to start receiving international flights, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

AlUla Airport has witnessed extensive development projects that included the comprehensive expansion carried out by RCU, transforming it into the fifth largest airport in Saudi Arabia, with a total area estimated at 2.4 million square meters.

RCU has worked to triple the airport’s capacity, and it can now receive 15 commercial flights at the same time. The capacity has increased from 100,000 passengers to 400,000 passengers per year.

The development of AlUla Airport is a key element of RCU's strategy to elevate AlUla to become a global destination for heritage, culture, history and natural tourism, and to enhance its strategic role, to become an important logistical center in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The strategy also aims to attract two million visitors every year to AlUla and contribute to raising the Kingdom's GDP by SR120 million by 2035.



GCC Welcomes Agreement between Yemen Govt, Houthis

Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)
Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)
TT

GCC Welcomes Agreement between Yemen Govt, Houthis

Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)
Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi welcomed on Wednesday the agreement between the legitimate Yemeni government and Iran-backed Houthi militias to de-escalate the situation with regard to the Yemeni banking sector and airlines.

The agreement was announced by the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, on Tuesday.

Albudaiwi expressed the GCC's support for all regional and international efforts and the efforts led by the UN special envoy aimed at achieving peace and security in Yemen.

The announcement underscores the importance the international community attaches to the Yemeni crisis, he added, hoping the agreement will pave the way for Yemeni parties to start the political process, under UN auspices, to reach a comprehensive political solution that achieves security and stability in the country.

He reiterated the GCC's continued support and full solidarity with Yemen, its government and people, and its keenness to encourage all efforts to de-escalate and maintain stability in order to reach peace.