Nigeria, Saudi Arabia to Launch Direct Abuja–Jeddah Flights in December

​Nigeria and Saudi Arabia are set to deepen bilateral air connectivity as Saudi Arabia’s national carrier, Saudia Airlines, prepares to commence direct flights between Abuja and Jeddah in December 2026.
​Nigeria’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Dr. Yakubu Gambo, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, noting that the direct service will later be expanded to Lagos and Port Harcourt before the end of the first quarter of 2027, while Kano will retain its existing direct flight operations.
​“By December, we will start having Saudi air flights directly from Abuja. And it will scale up to Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano,” Gambo stated.
​According to the envoy, the rollout follows strategic engagements with Saudi aviation authorities, who have expressed strong backing for direct air links as well as readiness to offer technical and financial support for Nigeria to operate flights via its national carrier.
​Gambo explained that the initiative is primarily aimed at easing travel for Nigerian pilgrims performing Hajj and Umrah by eliminating layovers in third-party countries.
​“They wouldn’t want pilgrims coming for Umrah or Hajj to fly through other territories that may not be safe,” he said, confirming that direct flight operations will be fully available for Nigerian pilgrims ahead of the 2027 Hajj exercise.
​The ambassador added that President Bola Tinubu has already been briefed on the arrangement and welcomed the development.