DALLAS — China Southern Airlines (CZ) will expand its presence in the Middle East during the summer 2024 season by launching a second route to Saudi Arabia.

The airline will debut its first nonstop flights to the country on April 16, connecting Beijing Daxing and Riyadh. In addition, China Southern has filed plans for a second route to the kingdom from Shenzhen, starting in June.

Starting June 3, CZ will operate flights twice weekly from Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (SZX) to Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport (RUH). According to Cirium Diio data, CZ will utilize A330-300 aircraft for this route. Aviation Week's David Casey states that CZ will be the sole operator of this 4,199-mile (3,649-nautical mile) route.

While Chinese carriers like Air China (CA), China Eastern Airlines (MU), and Xiamen Airlines (MF) have previously offered limited-time flights to Saudi Arabia to cater to religious traffic, the two new scheduled routes to Riyadh will be CZ's first regular services.

China-Saudi Arabia Connection

Last month, MU announced a new air route to Saudi Arabia, which will commence operations on April 8, 2024. It will offer three weekly flights between Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) and RUH. MU will operate the route using an A330-200 aircraft, providing an annual capacity of 35,880 inbound seats.

These new routes from China are part of the Saudi Air Connectivity Program, which aims to enhance air connectivity between Saudi Arabia and unserved or underserved markets. The program supports MU's and CZ's expansion into the Saudi Arabian market and is part of the country's efforts to make China one of its top three tourist source markets by 2030.

Saudia (SV) is the only airline offering nonstop flights between Saudi Arabia and China, with four routes. The airline serves Guangzhou from Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) and Riyadh, operating flights twice and thrice a week, respectively. SV has also recently introduced new services from JED and RUH to Beijing Daxing.