Saudia offers stopover visa programme for all travellers to Saudi Arabia

Saudia, the national flag carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is offering a stopover visa programme for passengers flying from Europe. In cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saudia has made it possible for passengers to obtain a stopover visa immediately during the booking process.

Passengers with stopover visas can stay for up to 96 hours in Saudi Arabia. Within this window, guests can perform Umrah, see sacred sites and visit top tourist destinations such as the nation’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites – from the stunning desert landscape of AlUla, bustling Historic Jeddah and the lush greenery of the Al-Ahsa Oasis.

Photo by Mohammed Ajwad

Saudia’s streamlined process allows passengers to pay for their ticket and visa in one step on the Saudia website. The improved pathway is a digital extension of the world-renowned Saudi hospitality, which continues to be a touchstone for the Saudia brand. The move is the latest initiative by Saudia to bolster travel and tourism to the Kingdom as part of Vision 2030, the transformative economic and social campaign that seeks to open Saudi to the world. As part of the initiative, Saudi has outlined goals to have 150 million annual visits to the county by 2030.

Mr. Arved Muhlen, Chief Commercial Officer, Saudia said: ‘We are very proud to be bringing the world to Saudi Arabia with our stopover visa initiative. The seamless digital journey for our guests embodies the hospitality that defines flying with Saudia.

Providing regular, reliable and ever-expanding flights to Saudi Arabia from Europe on our young fleet, where guests enjoy a range of excellent onboard facilities and unsurpassed service, is a great honour. We look forward to continuing to welcome more passengers onboard, to experience Saudi.’

Visitors can take advantage of the Saudia stopover visa programme and experience all that Saudi has to offer:    

March: Jeddah Historic District launch the restoration and conversion of three historic properties, into heritage hotels. The hotels are part of Jeddah Historic District Programme, under the Ministry of Culture, which has paved the way for regeneration of the old town of Al Balad – an UNESCO World Heritage-listed area of great historical and cultural significance on the glistening shores of the Red Sea

April: Visitors can enjoy the festivities around Eid al-Fitr, the final day of a month of fasting for Muslims across the world, celebrated on 9 April, which ushers in days of celebrations. Visitors can see the major cities and ancient towns come to life, as Saudi friends and families convene to rejoice with food and drink, dress up in their finery and offer gifts to loved ones

May: The undisputed world heavyweight boxing championship showdown between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will take place in Riyadh on Saturday 18 May 2024. International visitors will flock to the modern capital to experience the world-class sporting showcase

Using the stopover visa, guests can then fly on using Saudia’s network of domestic services to some of the Saudi other iconic sights – or beyond to destinations in Asia, Africa and North America.

Saudia is the national flag carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Established in 1945, the company has grown to become one of the Middle East’s largest airlines.

Saudia has invested significantly in upgrading its aircraft and currently operates one of the youngest fleet. The airline serves an extensive global route network covering around 100 destinations across four continents, including all 28 domestic airports in Saudi Arabia.

A member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO), Saudia has also been a member airline in SkyTeam, the second largest alliance, since 2012. 

Saudia was recently awarded the "World Class Airline 2024" for the third consecutive year at The APEX Official Airline Ratings™ awards. Saudia has also advanced 11 places in the Skytrax airlines ranking of the World Best Airlines 2023. The Airline also ranked top among global airlines for best on-time performance (OTP) according to a report by Cirium. 

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