NEOM Airlines to launch by end-2024; focus on innovation

NEOM Airlines, an airline dedicated to serve the mega NEOM project in the north west of Saudi Arabia, is expected to begin operations at the end of Q4 2024, its CEO says. The airline will be focused on enabling travel for tourists, residents, and commercial partners to and from NEOM, says Klaus Goersch in an article on NEOM's website. The airline will be an extension of NEOM: the place, the company, the vision. "We are there to enable the destination. Our goal is a holistic and interconnected approach, with NEOM Airlines enabling the gross domestic product of NEOM," says Goersch, a former COO of British Airways and Air Canada. "The airline will be an ambassador, a showcase for NEOM. Therefore, it has to be a very good product and it has to reflect the values of the overall project. It’s not just an airline, it’s a brand extension and a linear part of the travel experience because you remember the way you got there as well as the place itself, says . Our ultimate ambition is that you will not think about being on a plane or in an airport, you will simply enjoy the experience. Wouldn’t that be something? NEOM's resorts will be going live in early 2024, so we need to service that demand quickly, initially retrofitting existing aircraft with existing technology. But come 2026 onwards, there will be new innovative aircraft – whether it be electric, hydrogen-powered or supersonic – and next-generation interiors coming online from us. We are already in discussions with plane, interior and seat manufacturers." <br/>