JEDDAH: Malta-based VistaJet is set to become the first foreign private jet operator allowed to fly domestic routes in Saudi Arabia, after regulators lifted cabotage restrictions to liberalize the Kingdom’s skies.
VistaJet’s approval comes less than four months after Saudi regulators, on May 1, scrapped rules that had barred international charter operators from offering domestic services — a move aimed at stimulating competition, improving service quality, and expanding the private aviation segment.
The decision, announced by the General Authority of Civil Aviation, marks a major step in liberalizing Saudi Arabia’s general aviation market as the Kingdom works to attract global investment and boost competitiveness under its Vision 2030 economic transformation plan.
Awad Al-Sulami, executive vice president for economic policies and logistics services at GACA, said: “Authorizing VistaJet as the first international private jet operator for domestic operations in the Kingdom is a milestone in enhancing the general aviation market in Saudi Arabia.”
He added: “This step will foster greater competition, stimulate sector growth, and raise the quality of services for private aviation customers in the Kingdom and across the region.”
