Saudi Arabia's civil aviation regulator has authorised Dubai-based VistaJet to offer domestic services in the kingdom, making it the first international private jet operator to enter the local market.
The move reflects Saudi Arabia's push to attract investments and contribute to the sector's development, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (Gaca) said in a statement on Wednesday.
“This step will foster greater competition, stimulate sector growth, and raise the quality of services for private aviation customers in the kingdom and across the region,” Awad Alsulami, executive vice president for economic policies and logistics services at Gaca, said.
VistaJet, part of Vista Global Holding, an international private aviation group, is headquartered at the DIFC and founded by Swiss billionaire Thomas Flohr.
VistaJet's entry into the Saudi Arabian market comes after the country lifted cabotage restrictions for on-demand charter companies, which came into effect on May 1. Cabotage refers to the right to operate a domestic flight carrying passengers or cargo between two airports within the borders of one country, by an aircraft registered outside of that country.
Approving VistaJet's entry into the market is part of the kingdom's efforts to build its general aviation industry. In May last year, Gaca said it aimed to increase the sector's contribution to gross domestic product to 7.8 billion Saudi riyals ($2.08 billion) and create 35,000 jobs by 2030.
VistaJet has served the Saudi market for more than 15 years, offering international travel routes. It recorded a 32 per cent year-on-year increase during the first half of 2025 in VistaJet programme members in the kingdom, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. The programme membership offers customers a subscription of flight hours on its fleet of mid-and-long-range jets, to fly them anytime and to any destination.
“Given the nature of Vista’s fully-owned floating fleet, the company is best positioned to offer immediate private aviation services throughout the kingdom, while ensuring the operational efficiencies of its worldwide operations continue to best serve local clients,” it said.
“With the largest international fleet of Global 7500 aircraft, and soon Global 8000 jets, VistaJet clients can additionally reach any point around the globe non-stop directly from the kingdom, thanks to its strategic central geographical position.”
Strong demand
As part of its Vision 2030 plan to wean the economy from its dependence on oil, Saudi Arabia is seeking to develop its aviation sector to become a global hub for travel, trade and cargo, while modernising the sector through regulation, infrastructure and foreign investment.
Saudi Arabia is anticipating strong demand from foreign investors after it announced plans to develop its private jet industry to attract affluent tourists, corporate travellers, high-ranking government officials and business jet operators and owners to the kingdom, a Gaca official told The National last year.
The aviation regulator is in talks with international companies across the supply chain, from business jet makers and fixed-base operators to maintenance and catering service providers, Imtiyaz Manzary, general manager for general aviation at Gaca, said in an interview in May 2024.
Saudi Arabia’s business jet sector posted a record 24 per cent jump in flight volumes in 2024 to 23,612 flights, with domestic jet flights rising 26 per cent to 9,206 and international jet flights rising 15 per cent to 14,406, Gaca said in a statement in February this year.
