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Passengers traveling to and from Madinah will gain more choice and flexibility from March 2026, as Saudi low cost airline flyadeal expands operations from its base at Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport with additional domestic routes and higher weekly flight frequencies.
New Routes Strengthen Madinah’s Role in Saudi Aviation
Flyadeal is set to launch three new domestic routes from Madinah to Jazan, Qassim and Arar from 1 March 2026, in a move that further consolidates the Holy City’s status as a key aviation hub within Saudi Arabia. The announcement comes just weeks after the carrier inaugurated Madinah as its fourth operational base in the Kingdom, following Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam.
The new services will lift the number of nonstop destinations served by flyadeal from Madinah to 10, covering both domestic and international points. Existing routes already link the city with Abha, Al Hofuf, Dammam, Riyadh, Tabuk, Cairo and Istanbul, and the additional connections will extend that reach into Saudi Arabia’s northern and central regions.
With the expansion, flyadeal’s schedule at Madinah will grow to 94 flights per week. The airline operates Airbus A320 aircraft configured in a single all economy cabin, aiming to keep fares competitive while increasing capacity for both residents and visitors.
Industry analysts note that the latest route launches underline the government’s broader strategy to boost domestic connectivity and support tourism as part of Saudi Vision 2030. Madinah, as the second holiest city in Islam and a major gateway for pilgrims, has been earmarked as a priority for improved air access.
Building on a Rapidly Growing Madinah Base
The latest expansion follows an initial wave of growth from Madinah in early 2026, when flyadeal opened the base with five new routes. Those services added direct links from the city to Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport and to the domestic destinations of Abha, Jazan, Tabuk and Al Hofuf, increasing weekly flights from Madinah by around 40 percent.
By adding Jazan, Qassim and Arar as dedicated routes from March, the airline is moving quickly to deepen its presence at Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport. The combined effect of January’s and March’s route launches is to give Madinah a dense web of point to point connections across Saudi Arabia as well as into key regional markets.
Flyadeal’s leadership has framed the Madinah base as central to its growth trajectory. Executives have highlighted the dual focus on serving outbound demand from residents and workers in and around the city, and attracting inbound visitors, including religious pilgrims and leisure travelers exploring other parts of the Kingdom before or after their stay in Madinah.
The carrier’s network strategy is aligned with plans to triple its overall destination map to more than 100 points and expand its fleet to around 100 aircraft by 2030. Concentrating aircraft and crews at Madinah allows flyadeal to operate short, efficient rotations while responding quickly to seasonal peaks in demand tied to Umrah and Hajj.
Greater Choice for Pilgrims, Tourists and Business Travelers
For passengers, the expanded operations out of Madinah translate into more nonstop options, reduced travel times and improved connectivity between regions that previously required connections through larger hubs. Travelers from cities such as Arar in the north or Qassim in central Saudi Arabia will gain direct access to Madinah without backtracking via Riyadh or Jeddah.
This is expected to be particularly significant for religious visitors who wish to combine pilgrimages with domestic tourism. Many travelers arriving internationally into Madinah or connecting via other Saudi airports can now spread their itineraries across multiple cities, taking advantage of low cost fares to visit coastal destinations like Jazan or the mountainous Aseer region around Abha.
Business travelers and residents stand to benefit from increased frequencies and more convenient departure times. With nearly a hundred weekly flights now scheduled to and from Madinah, passengers have greater flexibility in planning short trips for work, family visits or medical appointments, along with the potential for lower average fares due to heightened competition and capacity.
Local tourism bodies and airport stakeholders have welcomed the expansion, viewing it as a catalyst for hotel, retail and transport development in and around the city. Increased throughput at the airport is likely to support additional investment in passenger services and ground infrastructure over the coming years.
Supporting Saudi Vision 2030 and Regional Connectivity
The growth of flyadeal’s Madinah base is closely tied to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals, which aim to diversify the economy and dramatically increase visitor numbers. Authorities have identified improved air connectivity as a central pillar of that strategy, with a particular emphasis on facilitating religious tourism while also promoting cultural and leisure travel.
By expanding low cost services from Madinah, flyadeal is helping to make domestic and regional travel more accessible to a wider segment of the population. Lower fares and more direct routes can encourage residents to travel more frequently within the Kingdom, spreading tourism revenue across multiple regions rather than concentrating it solely in the largest cities.
The new routes also contribute to the development of secondary cities as viable destinations in their own right. Jazan, Qassim and Arar, each with distinct economic and cultural profiles, are now more directly plugged into the national transport network, which can support investment, trade and employment opportunities.
In the longer term, enhanced connectivity from Madinah is expected to intersect with growing international traffic. As more foreign carriers add services to the city and Saudi airlines grow their networks, passengers are likely to see expanding options that combine international and domestic legs in a single, streamlined journey.
Operational Focus on Efficiency and Passenger Experience
Operationally, flyadeal’s expanded Madinah schedule will be supported by its uniform Airbus A320 fleet, which offers 186 seats in a 3 3 configuration. A single aircraft type simplifies crew training, maintenance and scheduling, an important factor when scaling operations quickly at a new base.
The airline’s model focuses on point to point services with quick turnarounds, a strategy designed to keep aircraft in the air for more hours each day and spread fixed costs across more flights. This in turn helps sustain the low fare structure that has been key to the carrier’s growth in Saudi Arabia’s increasingly competitive aviation market.
At Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport, passengers are likely to notice growing activity as more departures and arrivals are slotted into the timetable. Airport operators have been investing in terminal facilities, lounges and passenger services to accommodate rising traffic levels, particularly during peak pilgrimage seasons.
As March approaches and the new routes come online, travelers using Madinah as either an origin or a gateway will have a broader menu of options to choose from, underscoring the city’s evolving role as a central node in Saudi Arabia’s domestic and regional air network.