Qatar Airways opens new route to Saudi Arabia

Qatar Airways is expanding its services to Saudi Arabia with a new route to Abha scheduled to start on September 2.

Non-stop service is slated to run four times a week between Doha and Abha, capital of the southwestern Saudi province of Asir. The city has seen growing popularity as a tourist destination in the region thanks to mild weather and verdant mountains.

"We have been steadily growing our presence and services to Saudi Arabia," Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker said. "As our eighth destination, Abha will bring additional flexibility for passengers connecting from Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.”

Connecting through Doha, travelers from Abha will be able to access major cities such as London, Paris, Bangkok, Singapore, New York and Washington D.C.

Qatar Airways is already operating seven routes into Saudi Arabia with a total of 82 flights each week. Along with the new route to Abha, the airline will add two extra flights into Gassim.

The Doha-Abha route is to be serviced by an Airbus A320 with an average flight length of just over two hours. The A320 has 144 seats with 12 dedicated to business class and the remaining 132 seats in economy class.