“Harram, Harram, Harram” — with these three words, Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas made it clear that Saudi Arabia’s lack of global air connectivity is unacceptable and must be addressed immediately.
According to the reports, Douglas spoke openly about the issue as “We can’t fly direct from Riyadh to Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul or Sydney, and the list goes on,” he said.He further revealed that Saudi passengers are benefiting foreign airlines.
He said that “Qatar Airways has the highest number of premium passengers in business and first class, while Emirates is third in this number.”Even Douglas himself is forced to fly Emirates Airlines to attend the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Miami next week.
“Why? Because there are no direct flights from Riyadh,” he said. “Haram, haram, haram!”
However, he promised that this situation would soon change. “This is Riyadh’s mission, and we will solve this problem for the citizens of the kingdom.Riyadh Air plans to connect 100 cities by 2030, ushering in a new era of Saudi air connectivity.
Douglas’s dream is for Saudi travelers to no longer have to rely on foreign airports, but for Riyadh to become a true global gateway, where the lack of air connectivity is not considered “haram.”
“Haram” in Islamic teachings refers to something that is strictly forbidden or unacceptable. Using this powerful word, Douglas highlighted the urgent need to lift Saudi Arabia’s air travel restrictions.
