Emirates will boost its services to Riyadh with the addition of a fourth daily flight to the Saudi capital from Sept. 1. The addition of the fourth daily service will take the total number of weekly Emirates flights serving Riyadh to 28.
Adil Al-Ghaith, senior vice president commercial operations, Gulf, Middle East and Iran, said: “Emirates’ expanded schedule to Riyadh will offer more travel options and choice for business travelers and families alike who are looking to visit Dubai. There are strong passenger flows between Riyadh and Dubai so enhancing our services makes business sense, and further underscores Riyadh’s importance within our global network.”
The fourth daily flight will be serviced by the Boeing 777-300ER in a three-class configuration. Emirates flight EK813 will depart Dubai at 3 p.m. arriving in Riyadh at 3:50 p.m. The return flight, EK814 will depart Riyadh at 5:50 p.m. and will arrive in Dubai at 8:40 p.m. The late afternoon departure offers an additional option for travelers, complementing the existing morning and evening flights.
Dubai’s attractiveness as a destination for Saudi travelers continues to be strong and in 2017 more than 1.5 million Saudis visited the city, according to data published by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism). Dubai offers an extensive array of leisure and family activities catering to every taste, in addition to hotels for all budgets.
As a commercial and business hub, Dubai has become a platform for a myriad of businesses seeking exposure in emerging markets, and is also a springboard for investments coming into the region. Saudi Arabia is the UAE’s largest trading partner in the region, with non-oil trade reaching an estimated 88 billion dirhams ($24 billion) in 2017, according to UAE Federal Customs Authority data.
