This summer, travellers will be able to board the first non-stop flight from the UK to the Saudi Arabian city of Medina.
Budget airline Wizz Air has announced it will begin daily return flights from London Gatwick Airport to the city, which is one of the oldest and most important places in the Islamic faith.
Currently, travellers wanting to fly between the UK and Medina must book a connecting flight, typically stopping in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, or Istanbul, Turkey. The entire journey can take up to 11 hours.
Now, the budget airline will be using a new Airbus model with enhanced fuel capacity and a maximum flying time of up to 11 hours, the A321XLR plane.
Flights from Gatwick to Medina will take around seven hours. One-way tickets start from £233.99 and are available to purchase from the airline’s website and app.
But be warned — you won’t be able to recline your seat on your journey.
Marion Geoffroy, managing director of Wizz Air UK, said the new route is ‘an important milestone for the airline, as we continue to widen our network from the UK beyond Europe’.
She added: ‘We strive to make flying as accessible as possible, and this new direct route will give thousands of travellers the chance to connect with a city rich in culture and history for an affordable price.’
In Medina, visitors can explore various historical, cultural, and spiritual sites. It’s home to the Prophet’s Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam and the burial place of Prophet Muhammad.
The mosque dates back to 622 CE, when it was originally built by the Prophet himself after his migration to Medina, marking the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
There’s also the Quba Mosque, the first mosque ever built in Islamic history. While those interested in history can take a hike up Uhud Mountain in North Medina, where the famous Battle of Uhud took place in 625 CE.
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The Al-Madina Museum in East Medina displays artefacts and exhibitions highlighting Medina’s role in the early days of Islam, while the King Fahd Glorious Quran Printing Complex allows visitors to witness the production of Quranic texts.
Wizz Air has an extensive network in the Middle East, operating nearly 100 routes across the region, including a base in Abu Dhabi.
The airline said the new flight aligns with the Saudi Vision 2030 — a plan to diversify the Saudi economy by 2030 and attract more than 150 million visitors annually.
The country is seeking to become a major global tourist destination, with ambitious projects like ‘Dream of the Desert’ — the first five-star rail service in the Middle East — which runs through the Arabian desert, as well as becoming the host country for the 2034 World Cup destination.
Is it safe to travel to Saudi Arabia?
As Saudi Arabia pushes to become a major tourist destination, human rights groups have raised concerns over what they call the country’s ‘dire’ human rights situation.
A spokesperson for Amnesty International Saudi Arabia previously told Metro the Kingdom’s ‘ever-expanding image-laundering efforts are being used to sweep their human rights violations under the rug’.
They added: ‘While there have been some reforms in Saudi Arabia over the past decade, such as granting women the right to drive in 2017, the overall human rights situation is dire.
‘Saudi Arabia continues to be one of the world’s top executioners, with 345 people put to death last year alone, despite promises by authorities to limit the use of the death penalty.
‘There is a zero-tolerance policy for criticism, and people are receiving some of the harshest prison sentences we have ever documented in Saudi Arabia simply for expressing their views. All human rights organisations have been shuttered, effectively eliminating independent civil society in the country.’
Meanwhile, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) shares up-to-date guidance on where is safe to travel to in Saudi Arabia.
Most of the country, including Medina, has been deemed safe. However, the FCDO advises against all travel to the Saudi Arabia-Yemen border and all but essential travel to Abha International Airport, citing safety risks.
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