Saudi Arabia is open to international tourism
Saudi Arabia allows foreign travelers to enter the country, as long as they are fully vaccinated (with a booster). Arrivals to Saudi Arabia are not required to quarantine, or present evidence of a negative Covid test result. Some places may still require proof of vaccination.
Transit through Saudi airports is permitted, although you may need a transit visa if the connecting time between your flights is more than 12 hours.
Practical tips
- If you are flying to Saudi Arabia from abroad, you will most likely land at its main international airport—Riyadh
RUH, JeddahJED, and DammamDMM.
RUH near Riyadh, King Abdulaziz Airport JED in Jeddah, King Fahd Airport DMM in Dammam, Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Airport MED in Medina, and Al-Ahsa Airport HOF that serves the Hofuf region.
- Planning to explore the region? Popular destinations can be easily reached with regional low-cost carriers (LCCs) by the likes of Air Arabia, AirAsia, Air India Express, Indigo, Jazeera Airways, Pegasus Airlines, Salamair, Scoot, and SpiceJet.
Flights to Saudi Arabia
from United States and Canada
- There are no direct flights from the US or Canada to Saudi Arabia. However, most major hubs in Asia have non-stop flights to Saudi Arabia, as do some larger airports in the Middle East – your journey will have at least one stop. There are no direct flights to Saudi Arabia from Canada. Most direct flights from the US to Saudi Arabia are operated by Saudia (formerly Saudi Arabian Airlines). Non-stop flight from New York, Los Angeles and Washington to Jeddah are around 12-15 hours long with ticket prices ranging $700-$900 for a one-way flight.
- Saudi Arabia is well-served via one-stop flights from North America. Flights to Saudi Arabia with one layover depart from most major North American airports, including Atlanta
ATL, DallasDFW, DenverDEN, ChicagoORD, Los AngelesLAX, Las VegasDFW, MiamiMIA, SeattleSEA, HoustonIAH, New YorkJFK, and San FranciscoSFOin the United States and TorontoYYZ, VancouverYVR, CalgaryLAS, and MontrealYULin Canada. - The best airlines to fly to Saudi Arabia from the US and Canada are: Emirates, ANA, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Saudia, and Singapore Airlines. They are top full-service carriers, offering exceptional customer service, in-flight comfort, a generous checked baggage allowance, and reliable customer support channels – all included in the ticket price.
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What is the best time to book flights to Saudi Arabia?
The best time to book flights to Saudi Arabia is between 2 to 8 months before your travel date. The prime booking window (the most likely time to find the bargains) for Saudi Arabia flights is 4–6 months before takeoff. Book when you notice a significant drop in price.
Airfare prices for Saudi Arabia flights fluctuate due to demand, seasonal trends, and competition, causing numerous price drops and increases as your departure date approaches. The airlines use sophisticated revenue management systems to adjust pricing for optimal seat sales.
Generally, as seats are sold, prices tend to become more expensive.
Don’t book too early
Most airlines start selling their flights 9–12 months in advance. However, booking a ticket too early in that window can be an expensive mistake – airlines typically start by setting prices at a relatively high level to capture early demand from those willing to pay more to secure their seats.
Peak seasons are expensive
Peak travel seasons are always expensive – due to higher base prices set by airlines for dates they expect to be popular. Try to avoid the high season during summer and major holidays including holidays in Saudi Arabia. If you must travel during peak times, book your flight well in advance.
Avoid last minute
Avoid booking flights to Saudi Arabia less than 30 days before takeoff. Prices spike sharply then, as airlines are taking advantage of any last-minute travelers who have no choice but to pay up.
Prime Booking Window
For long-haul flights to Saudi Arabia, the best time to book your ticket is around 4–6 months before departure. This is the “Prime Booking Window.” After some seats have already been sold, airlines start dropping prices to stimulate demand. They may also offer promotions and sales. This is the ideal time for bargain hunting.
Fly on weekdays
It makes a difference which day of the week you board the plane. Midweek travel (especially Tuesdays and Wednesdays) is less busy and likely cheaper than flying on weekends. Airlines charge higher prices for weekend travel due to the high demand from people going on short getaways or visiting family and friends.
Opt for early morning flights
To save on airfare, select a late night or early morning (1–5 a.m.) flight. Airlines often offer discounts on their first flight of the morning (up to 15-20%) simply because of lower demand—most people are not willing to go to the airport so early. Moreover, morning flights tend to have fewer delays, and airport queues are usually shorter.
Flights to Saudi Arabia from Europe
- There are no direct flights from Europe to Saudi Arabia — you’ll need to get a connecting flight from elsewhere in the Middle East or in Asia. Direct flights from Europe to Saudi Arabia (Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam) are operated by Aegean Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, Pegasus Airlines, Saudia, Turkish Airlines, and Wizz Air
- Airlines that frequently fly from the UK, Germany, France, and other European countries to Saudi Arabia include Aegean Airlines, Air France, British Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Iberia, KLM, Qatar Airways, Saudia, and Turkish Airlines.
- Consider departure airports in neighboring countries to increase your chance of spotting the best deal. Especially look for large airports that serve as hubs for multiple airlines. For example, if you live in Western Europe, check air tickets to Saudi Arabia from Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Paris, and Rome. Leverage frequent promotions from European budget carriers like RyanAir, EasyJet, and Eurowings to reach a major hub; from there, take a cheaper long-haul flight to your final destination, potentially saving hundreds of euros.
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Winter is the best time to visit Saudi Arabia
Middle East countries, like Saudi Arabia, are extremely hot from April to September. Much of Saudi Arabia’s territory is occupied by the Arabian Desert – during the summer months, daytime temperatures in some regions can be as high as +45-50°C.
So, if you have a choice, plan your trip for the period from October to April for cooler weather with daytime temperates of around 25° C, and cool evenings and nights (+5°C to +12°C). However, as these are the best months for tourists, the country sees a sharp spike in tourist footfall – make sure to reserve your flights, hotels, and rental car well in advance.
Booking cheap Hajj and Umrah flights to Mecca
94% of international pilgrims travel to Mecca by plane to perform the annual Hajj. As there is no option to fly to Mecca, most choose to arrive at the King Abdulaziz International Airport JED in Jeddah, around 80km to the west of Mecca. It has a dedicated Hajj terminal, and during the pilgrimage season many airlines operate additional services to Jeddah.
The other option is to fly to Medina first (Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport MED), visit al-Masjid an-Nabawi (the Prophet’s Mosque), then proceed to Mecca by taking a 450 km long road trip.
It’s not surprising that cheap flights to Saudi Arabia from any airport in the world are hard to come by during Dhu al-Hijjah. Flights and hotels are booked up months in advance. The best way to guarantee fairly priced Hajj flights is to book them as early as possible. We also recommend taking advantage of the discounted deals to Jeddah and Medina published in Air Traveler Club newsletter (it’s free to sign up).
The cheapest time to fly to Saudi Arabia
The best time to find cheap flights to Saudi Arabia tends to be during the low season – June to September. It’s the country’s hot season and also an off-peak tourism season with high temperatures and significantly fewer visitors. Everything – including airline tickets – is cheaper.
Flying to Saudi Arabia in the peak season – October to April – will prove the most costly. These are Saudi winter months when the weather is pleasant and cool and the country sees an influx of tourists. Book your flights well in advance to avoid inflated last-minute fares.
Know your time zone
When checking flights and airport transfer times, ensure you know the local time zones. The departure/arrival times on your plane ticket and boarding pass are based on the time zone of the departure/arrival airport – this also applies to the connecting (layover) airports.
Saudi Arabia has only one time zone – it observes Arabia Standard Time (AST) all year, which is GMT/UTC+3 time zone. There are no daylight saving time clock changes.
Saudi Arabia is 8 hours ahead of New York, and 8 hours behind Sydney. Arabia Standard Time is also used by Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.
Long waiting times when calling the helpline?
Social media is usually a faster way to reach the airline when a problem arises. Use Twitter or Facebook Messenger to contact the airline customer service and get a response and solution within minutes (see detailed guides for Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, and others).
When it comes to Twitter, there’s one more trick to get in touch with the airline faster: mention the airline in a tweet about your issue (add “@airline_handle”, for example: “@Saudi_Airlines” for Saudi, the national carrier of Saudi Arabia). The customer care team will often notice it immediately, ask you for a direct message, and respond privately.
Download a VPN app
When it comes to media censorship, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the world leaders – there is no freedom of speech and online content is censored. Moreover, the Saudi government reserves the right to control and monitor anyone accessing the internet, which means that you could be spied on at any time. In the last years, thousands of websites and online services have been banned temporarily or permanently, including Wikipedia, WhatsApp, Skype, FaceTime, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, and Google Translator.
Solution? If you want to keep access to your favorite websites and avoid being spied on while traveling around Saudi Arabia, you should download a VPN app for your smartphone and laptop. By hiding your location, it will allow you to bypass government censorship and freely access all blocked content. Make sure to install it before you arrive – VPN websites are also blocked (however, using a VPN is not illegal).
Airlines of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, although known mostly for its natural oil resources, has also a vibrant air travel market, and ambitious plans for its aviation industry. The national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia is Saudia (formerly Saudi Arabian Airlines) which operates from its base at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. It is a key carrier in the Middle East region, directly competing with local rivals Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways. Hajj and Umrah flights are a fast-growing market for Saudia (including flights from Indonesia and other Muslim regions in Asia) and the government plans to attract even more pilgrim traffic by liberalizing visa policies and investing in infrastructure.
Four other airlines are serving the domestic market in Saudi Arabia – Flyadeal (Saudia’s subsidiary), Flynas, SaudiGulf, and Nesma Airlines. These smaller carriers are mostly focusing on short-haul routes, offering flights at lower prices in comparison to full-service Saudia. However, because they manage affordable tickets by cutting down on their operation costs, they may not provide free baggage allowance, inflight refreshments, meals, or onboard entertainment. In most cases, their tickets are fixed and non-refundable in case of no show-up or cancellation.
Flights to Saudi Arabia
from Australia and New Zealand
- Australia and New Zealand offer robust flight networks to key APAC locations, Saudi Arabia included. While domestic carriers like Qantas, Jetstar Airways, Virgin Australia, and Air New Zealand provide solid options, several major international airlines also serve these routes. These include ANA, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Thai Airways — expanding your choices for travel between Australasia and Asia.
There are no direct flights from Australia or New Zealand to Saudi Arabia. You’ll need a layover in one of the major hubs in Asia. - Airlines have different pricing strategies for different routes. Depending on airline partnerships, demand, and even the time of year, a flight to Saudi Arabia could be significantly cheaper from Sydney than from Melbourne.
Compare fares from main international airports in Australia: SydneySYD, BrisbaneBNE, MelbourneMEL, PerthPER, AdelaideADL, CairnsCNS, Gold CoastOOL, CanberraCBR, DarwinDRW, and in New Zealand: AucklandAKL, WellingtonWLG, ChristchurchCHC, and QueenstownZQN. - If you’re looking to save, consider flying from Australia or New Zealand to a primary Asian hub, then catch a connecting flight to Saudi Arabia with a regional budget airline such as Air Arabia, AirAsia, Air India Express, Indigo, Jazeera Airways, Pegasus Airlines, Salamair, Scoot, and SpiceJet.
For the initial leg of your trip, full-service airlines such as Qantas or Virgin Atlantic offer premium comfort and exceptional service, albeit at a premium price. However, many Asian airlines, including budget carriers, operate out of Australia and frequently feature sales and promotions. For instance, AirAsia runs deals to Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore; Cebu Pacific to Manila; Scoot to Singapore; VietJet Air to Ho Chi Minh City; Jetstar to Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo; Bamboo Airways to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Beijing; Batik Air to Jakarta and Singapore.
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Flights to Saudi Arabia
from major hubs in Asia
- Asia is probably the best continent for short-haul and mid-haul flying. The sheer scale of this most populous region on Earth is reflected in the type of aircraft operating many shorter routes: intra-Asia flyers benefit from comfortable, wide-bodied aircraft by the likes of Boeing 777, 787 or Airbus A350, A330, and A380. When booking your flight to Saudi Arabia look for these bigger planes as they will almost always give you the best experience in every cabin, including better seat pitches, higher ceilings, and larger overhead bin space.
- Asia is also home to most of the world’s best airlines. There are only ten airlines that received the prestigious 5-star mark of quality from Skytrax, and all of them are from Asia: ANA, Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, EVA Air, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines. Choosing one of these airlines for your trip to Saudi Arabia will guarantee a pleasant journey – delicious meals served during the flight, great in-flight entertainment, and above-average airline customer service.
- Asia is extremely well served by low-cost regional airlines. If you are visiting Saudi Arabia and want to see several other countries on a tight budget, they often have great sales with rock-bottom prices, while still offering a relatively comfortable flight experience. Among the best Asian budget airlines you can book without hesitation are AirAsia, Cebu Pacific, Citilink, FlyDubai, Indigo, Jetstar Airways, Scoot, SpiceJet. The cons? Being no-frills airlines they may not provide free baggage allowance, inflight meals, or onboard entertainment. The departure times may also be quite inconvenient as they try to save money by flying at off-peak hours.
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Flights to Saudi Arabia dataset
