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22-07-12

QA, Bahrain Air, Gulf Air bid for license in Saudi Arabia

(MENAFN) An official at the Saudi General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) said that Qatar Airways, Bahrain Air and Gulf Air are among the firms in pre-qualified bidders for a new airline license in Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported. GACA said that this month saw 14 companies bid for licenses to operate domestic and international flights in the Gulf Kingdom, seven of which have been short-listed. The list of the seven pre-qualified consortia also includes Chin's HNA, the parent company of Hainan Airlines Co Ltd, the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), Nesma Holding, and Emirate's private carrier Falcon Express. The official said that GACA will meet with the seven pre-qualified consortia in August and the deadline to submit bids will start in September. Saudi Arabian Airlines, the national carrier, and economic carrier National Air Services (NAS) are the only players in the Saudi aviation market. Last year, over 54 million passengers passed through Saudi Arabia's 27 airports, a 13.6 percent increase from 2010, according to GACA. Earlier this month Qatar Airways was reported to have plans to access the Saudi domestic aviation sector. The license winners will be announced in October while operations are expected to start at the end of next year.

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