Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 10, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Saudia's inaugural Riyadh-Moscow flight marks a milestone in Saudi-Russian relations, enhancing tourism and business travel with three weekly flights.
MOSCOW (Reuters) -The first direct passenger flight from Riyadh to Moscow operated by Saudia, Saudi Arabia's national airline, touched down in the Russian capital on Friday amid warming ties between the two oil producers.
Saudia said it is planning three direct return flights per week to Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport in a move likely to spur travel in both directions from visitors, business people and government officials.
Russia has already seen an increase in tourists from the kingdom, and Flynas, a Saudi budget airline, launched three direct flights a week between Riyadh and Moscow's Vnukovo airport in August.
Flynas is also due to launch a direct route between Jeddah, the gateway for pilgrims visiting Mecca, and Moscow in December.
Ties between Russia and Saudi Arabia are close.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last year thanked Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for helping to organise the biggest U.S.-Russian prisoner swap since the Cold War.
Putin and Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MbS, have fostered a close personal relationship since 2015 when the prince visited Russia for the first time.
The relationship has helped the leaders of the world's two biggest oil exporters conclude and maintain the OPEC+ energy deal.
(Reporting by Andrew OsbornEditing by Sharon Singleton)
Business travel refers to trips taken for work-related purposes, often involving meetings, conferences, or client interactions, typically funded by the employer.
Tourism is the act of traveling for leisure, recreation, or exploration, often involving visits to new places and experiencing different cultures.
An airline is a company that provides air transport services for passengers and cargo, operating aircraft to various destinations.
A direct flight is a flight that travels from one destination to another without any layovers or stops, although it may have a stopover without changing planes.
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