Farnborough, England: Qatar Airways will bid on Saudi Arabia’s new domestic and international aviation licence, its chief executive said on Tuesday.
“We are in the process of receiving an RFP [request for proposal] and submitting the RFP,” Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said at the Farnborough International Air Show.
Saudi Arabia moved a step closer to allowing new airlines to operate out of the kingdom on Tuesday, after its top aviation authority short-listed companies vying for a licence to cater to fast-growing demand in the Middle East’s biggest economy. The General Authority Of Civil Aviation, or GACA, has prequalified seven out of the 14 companies that had bid earlier this year for a new airline licence to operate domestic and international flights in the kingdom, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency, or SPA.
The companies include Saudi-Chinese consortia and Saudi-Gulf consortia, GACA said, but didn’t disclose the names of the firms.
Qatar Airways is bidding alone, Al Baker said.
GACA officials plan to meet with the firms in August to advise them on their bids. Qatar Airways, among the fastest-growing airlines in the world, earlier this month expressed an interest in launching an airline registered in Saudi Arabia, but said it has concerns about excessive fuel charges and the Saudi government’s policy of controlling domestic air fares.
