Route Analysis: Riyadh-Prague

Nonstop flights between Saudi Arabia and the Czech Republic will return in May when LCC flynas launches a route connecting Riyadh (RUH) and Prague (PRG).

The airline plans to begin serving the sector on May 1, operating three times per week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays using Airbus A320 aircraft.

The route will become the first nonstop link between the two countries since Czech Airlines exited the market in September 2018, two years after launching a summer season service.

Czech Airlines’ route to Riyadh was the first direct air connection between Saudi Arabia and the Czech Republic and the nations have remained unserved nonstop ever since it halted flights.

Flynas said it hopes to attract two-way leisure traffic on the new RUH-PRG route. According to figures provided by Sabre Market Intelligence, O&D traffic between Saudi Arabia and the Czech Republic totaled 31,200 two-way passengers in 2019, up from 29,000 the previous year.

All the traffic in 2019 was indirect, with about 42% of travelers flying one-stop via Dubai (DXB). Istanbul (IST) was the second largest connecting market, followed by Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen (SAW).

According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, flynas plans to serve 14 European destinations this summer; up from eight during the 2019 summer season. However, given the war in Ukraine, it is unclear whether routes to Kyiv Borispol (KBP), Lviv (LWO) and Odesa (ODS) will proceed as planned.

The airline said its expansion in Europe would support the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030 development plan. The 2030 strategy seeks to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy away from oil and resource-based businesses to focus on other industries, such as tourism.

RUH-PRG