RIYADH: Saudi Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan and his Qatari counterpart, Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Thani, on Wednesday officially inaugurated the direct route between Doha and AlUla that was recently introduced by Qatar Airways.

“The launch of direct flights to AlUla from Doha confirms our countries’ approach of working together to strengthen ties through advanced transportation networks,” Prince Badr said.

“As part of our work, we are keeping up with the expected increase in flights to AlUla Governorate as a global tourist destination, and the number of international flights will help AlUla progress to various other stages in collaboration with our brothers in the region.”

Sheikh Abdulrahman said the new route is a significant step toward confirming the role of the Qatari-Saudi Coordination Council’s Culture, Tourism, and Entertainment Committee in enhancing and strengthening cultural ties, adding that cultural heritage is an important factor in shaping public awareness, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The flights between AlUla and Doha were announced in early October and began toward the end of that month. The Royal Commission for AlUla seeks to transform the historic area into a major logistics hub in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Part of this vision includes the expansion of AlUla International Airport’s capacity from 400,000 to 6 million passengers annually.

Since its designation as an international airport in March 2021, it has undergone significant development and now covers an area of about 2.4 million square meters, and is capable of accommodating 15 aircraft at a time.