Saudi low cost carrier Flynas is preparing to add a new Moroccan capital to its growing network, announcing plans to launch a direct route to Rabat as it deepens its presence across North and North West Africa. The move comes as the airline celebrates three years of operations between Saudi Arabia and Casablanca and continues an aggressive expansion strategy that is reshaping travel options between the Kingdom and the wider African continent.

Flynas revealed its intention to open a new direct route to Rabat at a gala event in the Moroccan capital on February 4, 2026, held to mark three years of continuous services between Jeddah and Casablanca. While a precise launch date and schedule have yet to be publicly detailed, the airline has signalled that flights will begin “soon,” positioning the route as the next step in its Morocco strategy after Casablanca became its first long haul international destination in 2023.

The new link is expected to connect Rabat directly with Saudi Arabia, most likely from Jeddah or Riyadh, though final details remain to be confirmed. For travellers, the announcement indicates that non stop options between the two kingdoms will broaden beyond Casablanca, giving leisure, business, and religious travellers a second Moroccan gateway tailored to both government and tourism traffic.

The decision to expand in Morocco reflects steadily rising demand on existing routes. Flynas reports that it has carried more than 300,000 passengers between Saudi Arabia and Morocco over the past three years, a notable achievement for a relatively new long haul market for a low cost carrier. The airline has also mounted additional seasonal flights to support pilgrims travelling from Morocco to Saudi Arabia, illustrating how religious travel has supported the business case for further capacity.

For Rabat, the upcoming route will add another direct connection to the Gulf region, complementing existing long haul links from other carriers and aligning with Morocco’s broader ambitions to increase visitor numbers in the run up to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which the country is set to co host.

Why Rabat and Casablanca matter in the Flynas network

Casablanca was a landmark route for Flynas when it launched in 2023, marking the airline’s first move into true long haul flying beyond the immediate Middle East and short haul markets in Europe, North Africa, and South Asia. Choosing Morocco as that stepping stone underscored both the cultural ties between the two kingdoms and the growth potential of Saudi outbound leisure travel to the Atlantic coast and historic imperial cities.

The planned Rabat route builds on that foundation by offering a different kind of Moroccan gateway. While Casablanca is the country’s commercial hub and busiest airport, Rabat is the political capital, home to embassies, government ministries, and international organisations. A direct route is therefore well placed to capture diplomatic, official, and corporate travel that currently requires a domestic connection or overland transfer from Casablanca.

From a network planning perspective, adding Rabat also allows Flynas to diversify its Morocco portfolio and spread demand between two airports, which can help ease congestion on peak Casablanca services while opening new opportunities for tour operators and travel agencies to design itineraries focused on Rabat, nearby coastal resorts, and the historic interior.

For Saudi travellers, the combination of Casablanca and Rabat on the same airline creates flexible routing options. Visitors might arrive in one city and depart from the other, combining business in Rabat with leisure time in Casablanca or onward travel to Marrakech, Fes, or Tangier, all while remaining on a single low cost carrier platform for the Saudi segments of their trip.

Strengthening a fast growing North and East African footprint

The Rabat announcement does not stand alone. It is the latest in a series of Africa focused route launches that have turned the continent into one of Flynas’s most important growth regions. Over the past two years, the airline has moved beyond its initial North African offerings to build a lattice of connections linking Riyadh and Jeddah with key capitals and commercial centres south of the Sahara.

Entebbe in Uganda and Djibouti were among the first of these new African destinations, with direct flights from Saudi Arabia beginning in early 2025. In August 2025, Flynas added three weekly direct flights between Riyadh and Nairobi, becoming the first Saudi carrier to link the two capitals non stop and tapping into both tourism and business flows between East Africa and the Gulf.

In December 2025, the airline announced yet another African milestone with the launch of direct flights between Jeddah and Entebbe, scheduled to begin on March 24, 2026. Once those services commence, Flynas will operate eight weekly flights between Saudi Arabia and Uganda, combining both Riyadh and Jeddah departures and significantly increasing capacity into East Africa’s Great Lakes region.

This expanding map positions the upcoming Rabat service as part of a broader, carefully sequenced African strategy rather than a one off addition. From North Africa to the Horn and East Africa, the carrier is using a mix of religious, diaspora, leisure, and business demand to build sustainable routes that mesh with Saudi Arabia’s wider aviation ambitions.

Aligned with Saudi Vision 2030 and civil aviation goals

Flynas frames its route expansion through the lens of Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Civil Aviation Strategy, both of which aim to transform the Kingdom into a global aviation and tourism hub. The strategy calls for connecting Saudi Arabia to 250 international destinations, handling 330 million passengers annually, and welcoming 150 million tourists per year by 2030.

The airline’s growth plan, marketed under the slogan “We Connect the World to the Kingdom,” is closely aligned with those metrics. Every new African or European destination, and every incremental route such as Rabat, pushes Saudi carriers a little closer to the connectivity targets set by policymakers. The focus on cities with strong tourism or religious travel potential, including Moroccan gateways and African capitals, also dovetails with the Pilgrims Experience Program, which seeks to make journeys to the Two Holy Mosques smoother and more accessible.

Morocco, where a significant number of citizens perform Umrah and Hajj each year, is a natural fit for this strategy. By adding Rabat to Casablanca, Flynas provides more options for Moroccan pilgrims to reach Saudi Arabia without backtracking through other transit hubs. Seasonal adjustments and additional flights around peak religious periods can be layered onto the basic scheduled service, helping both countries manage pilgrim flows more efficiently.

On the Saudi side, the routes also support outbound tourism priorities. As the Kingdom encourages its citizens and residents to travel more, especially on Saudi based carriers, new leisure friendly destinations such as coastal Morocco, East African safari hubs, and European city breaks give travellers a broader menu while keeping ticket revenues within national airlines.

What travellers can expect on the future Rabat route

While Flynas has not yet released full details of the Rabat schedule, the route is expected to follow the airline’s established low cost model, with point to point flights and a selection of optional extras that allow travellers to customise their journey. Typically, this includes tiered baggage allowances, seat selection, and add on services such as priority boarding and bundled meals.

The airline operates a young, fuel efficient narrow body fleet, which has been central to its ability to open thinner long haul and medium haul routes that might not support widebody aircraft. Passengers on the new Rabat service are likely to see similar cabin products to existing Morocco flights, with single class layouts optimised for cost conscious leisure travellers and groups, as well as competitive pricing aimed at stimulating new demand.

For Moroccan passengers, the route will provide a direct link to the Saudi market without the need to transit in Casablanca or European hubs. This will be particularly attractive for those headed to Jeddah and Mecca for pilgrimage, but also for students, business travellers, and families with ties in both countries. Shorter total travel times and the convenience of a non stop flight are likely to be major selling points.

Until the airline publishes its exact launch date, frequency, and timetable, prospective travellers should expect an initial schedule of several flights per week, with the possibility of adjustments based on demand patterns once the route is established. As seen on other new Flynas destinations, schedules can be increased during peak seasons such as summer holidays, Ramadan, and Hajj.

Rabat’s appeal: more than a political capital

Rabat tends to receive less international attention than Marrakech or Casablanca, but it offers a distinct mix of history, culture, and coastal charm that makes it a logical new entry point for Saudi and Gulf visitors. The city’s UNESCO listed medina, Andalusian gardens, and riverfront kasbah provide a more relaxed atmosphere than busier commercial centres, while still offering easy overland access to other Moroccan highlights.

For travellers arriving from Saudi Arabia, a non stop flight into Rabat opens comfortable itineraries that combine official business with short breaks. Meetings in the capital can be followed by weekend escapes to nearby Atlantic beaches or train journeys south to Casablanca and onward to Marrakech, with high speed rail links making city hopping increasingly practical.

The city is also evolving as a creative and educational hub, home to museums, universities, and cultural institutions that appeal to a younger, more experience driven generation of travellers. Direct flights make it easier for student exchanges, cultural delegations, and conference attendees from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf to include Rabat in their travel plans without complex connections.

For Moroccan tourism authorities, an additional direct link from Saudi Arabia enhances diversification efforts ahead of the 2030 World Cup. Although most match venues will be spread across Morocco, Spain, and Portugal, Rabat is expected to benefit from increased visibility and visitor flows, and extra air connectivity from the Gulf will help absorb that demand.

How the route fits into a wider network of new destinations

Beyond Africa, Flynas has been steadily thickening its international web in Europe and Central Asia, and the upcoming Rabat service slots into that broader picture. In 2025, the airline launched flights to Geneva, Milan, Krakow, and the Turkish Black Sea city of Rize, alongside a seasonal expansion to Casablanca as part of a summer schedule that featured more than 20 international cities.

In 2025 it also inaugurated direct flights between Riyadh and Moscow, and at the end of that year began operating three weekly services between Jeddah and the Russian capital. These launches, in partnership with Saudi tourism authorities and air connectivity programmes, underline how Flynas is using a mix of leisure, VFR (visiting friends and relatives), and business demand to justify new point to point links that bypass older transfer based models.

When viewed on a map, Rabat will join a growing arc of destinations stretching from North Africa across Europe and into Eastern Europe and Russia, all tied back to Flynas’s Saudi hubs. For the airline, this creates opportunities for limited self connection, with passengers building their own itineraries through Riyadh or Jeddah even as the core business model remains focused on direct origin and destination traffic.

For travellers, the effect is a steady erosion of old geographical barriers. Cities that once required complex routings through major European or Gulf hubs are increasingly accessible via simple, competitively priced non stop flights. Rabat, like Entebbe or Krakow, becomes not an exotic outlier but one more stop on a growing list of viable weekend breaks or multi city journeys.

Practical considerations for planning future trips

Until Flynas releases final operational details, passengers interested in the new Rabat service should treat this phase as a planning window rather than a booking window. Travellers considering combining Casablanca and Rabat in one trip can already make use of existing Flynas flights to Casablanca and then connect overland by train or road, while monitoring the airline’s announcements for the opening of direct Rabat services.

Once the schedule is published, early bookers are likely to find the most attractive introductory fares, as the airline typically uses competitive pricing to stimulate trial on new routes. Travellers should also pay attention to seat and baggage policies, especially if they intend to connect from domestic Saudi flights operated by Flynas or other carriers, to ensure smooth handling of luggage and consistent fare conditions across all segments.

For pilgrims and religious groups in Morocco, coordination with travel agencies and tour operators will be key. Many organised Hajj and Umrah packages are likely to incorporate the new Rabat route once it is fully operational, particularly for groups based in and around the capital region who can save time and cost by departing from their local airport rather than travelling to Casablanca.

As Saudi Arabia and Morocco both look ahead to a decade of intense tourism development, including mega events and infrastructure upgrades, direct links such as the planned Flynas Rabat service will play an increasingly central role in shaping how and where travellers move. For now, the announcement signals that the skies between the two kingdoms are set to become even busier, with Rabat poised to take its place alongside Casablanca as a core North African gateway for Saudi’s leading low cost carrier.