11 new direct flights from the Middle...

Higher frequencies, resumed routes and new destinations from Emirates, Gulf Air, Saudia and more

Travellers from the Middle East have more flight options from April 2025, including new destinations, additional services on high-demand routes and first-time carriers entering exciting markets.

The spotlight is on Saudi this month, with a notable increase in new and more frequent flights between Riyadh and London in the UK, as well as new routes connecting Bahrain and London, and UAE capital Abu Dhabi with Varna in Bulgaria.

Here are 11 direct flights to know about:

1 Virgin Atlantic: Riyadh-London Heathrow
Virgin Atlantic has launched its first service to Saudi, with daily flights between Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport (RUH) and London Heathrow (LHR).

Flights depart Riyadh at 11:50 and arrive in London Heathrow at 17:25, with return flights departing LHR at 22:25 and arriving in RUH at 07:25 the following day. The route is served by the Airbus A330-900neo aircraft with 262 seats.

2 Wizz Air: Jeddah-London Gatwick
Low-cost carrier Wizz Air has added a new direct daily route between Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) and London Gatwick (LGW), its first service connecting the UK and Saudi. Flown with the airline’s new Airbus A321XLR, it will be the longest route in Wizz’s network, covering 4,100 kilometres.

Flights depart Jeddah at 01:30 and arrive in London Gatwick at 06:25, with the return flight leaving LGW at 16:00 and arriving in JED at 00:35 the following day.

3 British Airways: Riyadh-London Heathrow
British Airways has increased its flights between Riyadh and London from seven to 13 weekly flights, adding an additional 80,000 seats on the route. Flights depart King Khalid International Airport (RUH) at 00:35 and arrive at London Heathrow (LHR) at 05:30 daily, and also at 08:25 arriving 13:20 six days a week (not Tuesday).

The return flights depart LHR at 14:05 and arrives into RUH at 22:45 daily, and also at 22:00 arriving 06:35 the following day, six days a week (not Monday). The route will be operated with Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft.

4 Saudia: Jeddah-Bali
Saudi flag-carrier Saudia now flies from Jeddah to Bali in Indonesia three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, boosting travel options for outbound tourists and inbound pilgrims.

Flights depart Jeddah at 01:10 and arrive into Bali at 20:05, with the return flights departing Bali at 23:45, arriving in Jeddah at 07:55 the following day. The route is operated with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and includes a technical stopover of around 90 minutes in Singapore, with passengers remaining on the aircraft.

Passengers can now fly direct from Jeddah to Bali

5 Saudia: NEOM Bay-London Gatwick
From 6 April 2025, Saudia begins weekly flights from NEOM Bay (NUM) to London Gatwick (LGW), replacing the existing Heathrow service with a 110-seat Airbus A320. Flights depart NUM on Sunday at 14:50, arriving into London at 16:40, with the return flight departing LGW at 20:10 on Sunday and arriving NUM at 03:40 the following day.

6 Fly Jinnah: Riyadh-Islamabad
Fly Jinnah, Pakistan’s low-cost airline and a joint venture between Lakson Group and Air Arabia Group, has launched a daily direct service between Riyadh and Islamabad. Flights depart the Saudi capital at 22:20, arriving in the Pakistan capital at 04:35 the following day. The return flight departs Islamabad 19:15 and arrives in Riyadh at 21:30.

7 Flydubai: Dubai-Pisa
Dubai-based low-cost carrier Flydubai has resumed its service to Pisa in Italy, with flights from Terminal 3 at Dubai International (DXB) now operating three times a week to Pisa International Airport (PSA), offering passengers direct access to the popular historic city and wider Tuscany region.

Flights operate on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, departing DXB at 09:30 and arriving into Pisa at 13:30, with the return flight departing Pisa at 14:30 and reaching Dubai at 22:30.

Renowned for its leaning tower, Pisa is also close to the Renaissance city of Florence and less than 2.5 hours from Rome by train as the capital prepares to welcome 30 million additional visitors for this year’s Jubilee celebration.

Flydubai's Dubai-Pisa route is now thrice weekly

8 Wizz Air: Abu Dhabi-Varna
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has added the Black Sea city of Varna in Bulgaria to its network, with services three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Flights depart the UAE capital’s Zayed International Airport (ZIA) at 14:10 and arrive at Varna Airport (VAR) at 18:15, with the quick turnaround return flight departing VAR at 18:50 and arriving at ZIA at 00:20 the following day.

9 Emirates: Dubai-Beirut
This month, Dubai-based Emirates has added a second daily service to Beirut in Lebanon. The second flight departs Dubai International (DXB) at 07:30, arriving in Beirut’s Rafic-Hariri International Airport (BEY) at 10:30. The return service leaves BEY at 12:05, arriving in DXB at 16:55.

Dubai's Emirates now flies to Beirut twice daily

10 Gulf Air: Bahrain-London Gatwick
Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, has started direct flights from Bahrain International Airport (BAH) to London Gatwick Airport (LGW). There are three weekly flights between BAH and LGW on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while Gulf Air also flies to London Heathrow (LHR) twice daily.

Flights depart Bahrain at 01:45 and arrive into London at 06:55. The return flight leaves LGW at 11:25, arriving into Bahrain at 20:00, with the route served by the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

11 Royal Jordanian: Amman-Washington DC
Royal Jordanian has introduced a service between Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) with two flights per week on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The move comes after United Airlines suspended its thrice weekly service on the same route.

Flights depart Amman at 11:45 and arrive into Washington at 17:45. The return flights leave IAD at 20:50 and reaches AMM at 15:25 the following day, with the route served by the Boeing 787-8 aircraft.

Finally, not a new route, but Wizz Air has relocated its Bucharest services from Henri Coanda International Airport to Băneasa – Aurel Vlaicu International Airport, which is more central and provides more convenient access to the Romanian capital.

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