National flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) and Riyadh Air, the second flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, signed a cooperation deal to expand destinations and boost the partnership.
"The agreement heralds a new era of enhanced travel experiences for guests flying between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia and further beyond while laying the ground for deeper future collaborations," Turkish Airlines said in a statement on Monday.
The new memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed during the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Air Services Negotiation Event (ICAN2023), which is being held in Riyadh on Dec. 3-7.
The deal will be effective after Riyadh Air starts its operations in mid-2025.
Guests of both airlines will enjoy the convenience of a comprehensive interline and codeshare agreement, allowing for smooth connections across the networks of both Turkish Airlines and Riyadh Air, read the statement.
The deal will pave the way for the two airlines to explore joint initiatives across various sectors, including cargo, digital development and other aviation-related services.
Expressing happiness for the start of the collaboration, Levent Konukcu, deputy general manager in charge of investment and technology at Turkish Airlines said, "This Memorandum of Understanding is more than a collaboration; it's a bridge between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia, further strengthening our ties."
The deal will contribute significantly to the tourism and business sectors of both countries, he added.
Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas stated that this agreement is a very significant step in the development of Riyadh Air, which has established a partnership with the world's largest global airline in terms of destinations served.
"Our close relationship will open up seamless connectivity via the global-leading hub at Istanbul Airport to some 130 destinations worldwide, especially within Türkiye, Europe and the Americas, and accelerate our network footprint through the market-leading, guest-centric, digitally focused and like-minded global airline brand that is Turkish Airlines," Douglas said.