Saudi pilgrimage airline Alwafeer gains licence

Saudi Arabia-based pilgrimage airline Alwafeer Air has obtained an operating licence and is expected to start flying during the Haj season in November, an official said yesterday.

The Jeddah-based airline is the kingdom's fourth after state-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines and low budget carriers Nas Air and Sama.

"Today they received their Air Operation Certificate [AOC] but they will not start yet," said Abdulhalim Felemban, supervisor of economic planning at the General Authority of Civil Aviation. "It will take time but it will definitely operate in Haj," he said.

The charter airline will focus on flying pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest sites in Makkah and Madinah, starting with three Boeing 747 aircraft, and may expand its fleet to eight planes within three years.

More than two million pilgrims from around the world flock to Makkah to perform the annual Haj.

Umrah, the minor pilgrimage, can be done throughout the year.

Alwafeer Air aims to attract "the largest share of the Haj and Umrah transportation", the carrier said on its website without giving details.

Company officials were not immediately available for comment.

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