Cairo: Saudi aviation authorities said today they adopted measures to review airfares after reports on rises in domestic airfares.
The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said it had taken a package of measures conducive to review of air transport pricing as well as increases in seating capacity and number of flights.
The steps, according to GACA, aim to guarantee availability of suitable airfares to passengers, enhance competitiveness in the air transport sector and protect travellers’ rights.
“The Authority has recently noticed a change in the price pattern of some air ticket categories and closely followed reports about rates of domestic airfares,” GACA said in a statement on its Twitter. The agency did not disclose specific measures.
Saudi media has recently reported hikes in fares of domestic flights due to a surge in numbers of travellers interested in performing Umrah or lesser pilgrimage in the final 10 days of the holy Islamic month, and the Eid Al Fitr holiday that follows it.
Saudi newspaper Al Watan this week reported that some residents in Saudi areas near Jordan have recently preferred to fly to Jordan and from there flew to the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah for an Umrah journey because airfares between the two destinations are lower by more than half of the rates available in Saudi Arabia to fly to Jeddah.
A flight from the border Saudi northern governorate of Al Qurayyat to Jeddah on a tourist class costs SR1,200 while the flight from the Jordanian capital Amman to Jeddah or the Saudi capital Riyadh costs between SR400 to SR600, according to the paper.
