London expands nonstop services with new Dammam flight

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London expands nonstop services with new Dammam flight

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British Airways | Official Website

By Sky Industry News

Jul 12, 2025

London will soon have direct flights to Dammam, Saudi Arabia. This marks the fifth Saudi Arabian city with nonstop service from London. The city was previously served by British Airways in 2019 but the route was short-lived due to the pandemic. Saudia will begin operating the new route on November 5, offering three weekly flights.

Sean Moulton first revealed this development on X, stating that Saudia will likely use Boeing 787-9 aircraft for these flights. The airline appears to be reallocating slots from its Jeddah-Heathrow route to accommodate this new service.

The introduction of the Dammam flight addresses a significant demand, as it was London's largest unserved Middle Eastern market with 73,000 round-trip passengers last year. Most travelers flew via Doha, Dubai, or Riyadh. The average one-way fare from Heathrow was $1,212 due to high premium traffic and freight demand.

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In addition to Dammam, London has flights to Jeddah, Medina (starting August 1), Neom Bay, and Riyadh. Other airlines like Wizz Air and Virgin Atlantic are also increasing their presence in these routes.

As of July 9th:

- Gatwick-Jeddah: Saudia offers three weekly flights using Boeing 787-9/787-10 aircraft; Wizz Air operates daily A321XLR flights.

- Gatwick-Medina: Wizz Air will provide daily A321XLR service starting August 1.

- Gatwick-Neom Bay: Saudia runs two weekly A320ceo flights.

- Heathrow-Dammam: Saudia plans three weekly Boeing 787-9 flights.

- Heathrow-Jeddah: British Airways offers four weekly services with Boeing 787s; Saudia has reduced its frequency to enable Dammam operations.

- Heathrow-Riyadh: Multiple airlines offer various frequencies and aircraft types.

Meanwhile, Baghdad has become London's largest unserved Middle Eastern market following the return of Dammam flights. Iraqi Airways faces challenges serving London directly due to restrictions on using its own aircraft in the UK.

Air Sierra Leone recently began flying into Gatwick under similar restrictions as Iraqi Airways. UR Airlines and FlyErbil also operate routes from Erbil to Gatwick.