BA chief upbeat on demand for Saudi flights

The chief executive of British Airways on Monday said the company's flights to Saudi Arabia, which resumed in June after a four-year hiatus, were "performing well".

Willie Walsh said performance of direct flights from the kingdom's two principal aviation hubs, Riyadh and Jeddah, to the London Heathrow's Terminal 5 were encouraging.

The airline resumed operations in the kingdom on June 1 and has announced that it will be increasing capacity on the Jeddah service from October 31 to a Boeing 777.

Walsh said: "Resuming direct services to these major cities consolidates our presence in the Middle East. We have been very encouraged by demand on these routes proving that there is a lot of opportunity in Saudi Arabia.

"It is a very important market for British Airways and we are pleased to be back offering our customers the award-winning products and services we know they expect."

The airline first began operating flights from Saudi Arabia in the late 1960s, under the mantle of the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC).

Talking about the new route, Walsh added: "Considering the major economic development and significant inward investment Saudi has seen recently, as well as the governmental drive for liberalisation, reinstating flights here was a straightforward commercial decision. We will continue to examine further expansion opportunities as we monitor the progress of the routes."

Walsh was speaking during a three-day visit to the kingdom.

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