“Some more pics from a dream holiday,” writes Carrie Johnson, current wife of the former prime minister. She posted this week from the beach in Saudi Arabia on Instagram: “I forgot to mention how incredible the water sports are too – particularly the diving and the snorkelling.”
Let us leave Ms Johnson and her family beside the warm waters of the Red Sea and switch to Wizz Air – which is pushing the boundaries of no-frills flying. The Hungarian budget airline finds itself competing in an increasingly crowded European aviation market in which it occupies an uncomfortable third place behind Ryanair and easyJet.
The sensible response: create some new routes. Equipped with brand-new long-range Airbus A321XLR aircraft, Wizz will connect Sussex with Saudi Arabia from this summer on two links.
One of the new routes from London Gatwick airport is Jeddah, the main city on the Red Sea. National carrier Saudia already flies from London Heathrow three times a day, with plans to launch from Gatwick, while British Airways flies to Jeddah and back daily.
Both of the incumbents use wide-bodied aircraft with long-haul amenities, while Wizz Air will be strictly economy. The typical one-way Gatwick-Jeddah fare on the budget airline in spring and summer is £135, which for almost 3,000 miles of flying is remarkable.
More interesting, though, is the route announced on Tuesday: Gatwick to Medina, the second-holiest city in Islam after nearby Mecca. On the day it starts, 1 August, the temperature in the inland city is likely to be 45C. This is a route that initially is aimed at helping Saudi travellers escape to the relatively benign climes of the UK.
Later in the year, though, Wizz Air visualises British tourists fleeing winter for the bright skies of Arabia. What with a 2.20am arrival in Medina and a 3.15am departure, the airline may have to drop its standard outbound price of £234 to fill the planes in November. Doubtless some will be attracted by the city itself – opened up fully to non-Muslims four years ago – and the nearby cultural jewel of Saudi Arabia, Al Ula. This is an oasis city that grew up astride trade routes and gives access to monuments hewn from sandstone cliffs.
But many will be deterred by the kingdom’s human-rights record – which includes the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, discrimination against women and frequent executions.
“Same-sex relations are illegal,” adds the Foreign Office. As is alcohol, though some expatriates seem to find ready access to the evil drink.
Saudi is not (yet) the new Spain. The Red Sea coast, though, remains a prime asset. Experience shows that if the price is right an airline – or nation – can attract British holidaymakers. We will also tolerate low-cost airline standards even on six-hour flights, which Wizz Air is about to extend to seven.
Saudi Arabia is pouring money into its infant tourism industry, aiming to create from a standing start a dazzling array of beach holidays, adventurous journeys and city breaks. “Build the air links and they will come,” seems to be the national refrain.
Waiting in the wings: Riyadh Air, a state-funded sister airline to Saudia, the existing national carrier. Saudia aims to create a hub in Jeddah that may one day rival Doha or Dubai. Meanwhile, the newcomer in the kingdom’s capital is all about bringing people in. The plan: “Leveraging Saudi Arabia’s strategic geographic location between the three continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe, Riyadh Air will offer better connectivity to Riyadh – a global destination for transportation, trade and tourism.”
Having briefly visited the capital, I think Riyadh has some way to go before it justifies the “48 Hours in …” treatment. My expectation is that, initially, Riyadh Air will compare to Gulf Air, based in Bahrain, with neither anything like the scale of Emirates or Qatar Airways. But competition in aviation always benefits the traveller. As does some indulgence.
“They also have a really wonderful spa,” writes Carrie Johnson from her Saudi sojourn. “I booked a massage with Rabina and I felt like a new person afterwards.”
After a low-cost flight to the kingdom, arriving in the early hours, you might feel like a rub-down too.
