Saudi Gulf Airlines is preparing to launch its first flights on November 1 after the carrier was given a preliminary license by Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation, according to Arab News .
"Saudi Gulf plans to fly from Dammam to three destinations, initially with a fleet of four Airbus A320s,” Samer Majali, the group’s president and senior adviser, said in a statement after a meeting between the company's chairman and the head of the GACA.
Initial flights from Dammam will include Jeddah and Riyadh, with an international destination reportedly planned later.
Saudi Gulf will be the third carrier serving the domestic Saudi market, which is currently protected from international competition.
Qatar Airways is fighting for a domestic license for its planned Al Maha Airways subsidiary, however, the deal has dragged on for several years without any significant progress. Just last month, Qatar Airways took delivery of planes for the planned carrier but put them into service on its own routes due to the uncertainty of the subsidiary's future.