Saudi budget carrier flyadeal says domestic market close to pre-COVID levels

Saudi Arabia's domestic air travel market is witnessing a sharp recovery, with passenger numbers now close to pre-pandemic levels, said the CE of state-owned budget carrier flyadeal on Thursday. The kingdom, with a population of about 30 million, is by far the largest domestic air travel market in the Gulf, where most countries are small and only have international services. "The domestic market is pretty much not far off being back to 100%. It's around the 90% mark," Con Korfiatis said. Flyadeal, a subsidiary of state carrier Saudi Arabian Airlines, resumed flights within Saudi Arabia in late May 2020 after services were suspended that March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and had itself returned to full capacity by October. The airline is now operating 19 domestic routes to 14 cities, and has one international service from Riyadh to Dubai.<br/>