Saudi Arabia
Charter Routes
Three sectors from Riyadh, the capital desk. King Khalid International gives a departure two of the longest runways in the region, no slot and no prior permission, and every trip starts with the GACA permit the desk files through approved local agents. Jeddah is the domestic run and the pilgrimage gateway, London and Istanbul are the long sectors on heavy and super-midsize aircraft. The inbound sectors from Dubai and Cairo sit on those hubs.
Reviewed by Kevin Singh, Founder · Fact-checked against Icarus Jet fleet and airport operations data · Last updated 11 September 2026
Charter routes
Where can you fly privately from Riyadh?
Riyadh is the Saudi desk, the base for the domestic run to Jeddah and the long sectors to London and Istanbul. One field serves the city: King Khalid International, about 35 kilometres north of the centre with two parallel 13,796 foot runways, no airport slot and no prior permission, with handling optional and a royal terminal on the field. The first decision on every trip is the permit, because Saudi Arabia issues landing rights for each charter movement through the GACA and the desk files them through approved local agents with the aircraft documents and the passenger list, and since 1 May 2025 foreign operators may also fly between Saudi cities. What flies from here falls into two kinds of sector: the ninety-minute run to Jeddah on a light or midsize jet, and the international sectors to London and Istanbul on super-midsize and heavy aircraft, with the summer afternoons above 45 degrees planned around a morning or evening departure. The three routes below are the ones the desk quotes most, and each opens to its own guide with the flight time, the distance, the aircraft that fit and the airports at both ends.
Airport and airspace facts across these routes are checked against the GACA Saudi Arabia publications and Icarus Jet operations data.
Airport guides
The airports behind the Saudi Arabia routes
The fields these sectors leave from and land at, with runways, slots, permits and handling on their own guides, written by the desk that files the paperwork.
Questions
Saudi Arabia charter route questions
Which Riyadh airport do private flights use?
King Khalid International, about 35 kilometres north of the city, with two parallel 13,796 foot runways, no airport slot and no prior permission. Handling is optional and there is a royal terminal on the field. King Salman International is planned to replace it towards the end of the decade.
Do I need a permit to fly a private jet in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. The General Authority of Civil Aviation issues landing rights for each charter movement, and the desk files them through approved local agents with the aircraft documents and the passenger list. Overflight permits are filed for the FIRs on the routing.
Can a foreign aircraft fly Riyadh to Jeddah?
Yes. Since 1 May 2025 foreign operators may fly between Saudi cities, so the domestic sector to Jeddah is quoted on the same aircraft that brought you in, with the GACA permit covering the leg.
How long are the sectors from Riyadh?
About an hour and a half to Jeddah on a light or midsize jet, about four hours to Istanbul on a super-midsize jet, and about six and a half hours to London on a heavy or ultra long range aircraft.
Which London airport does Riyadh to London use?
Farnborough for the west and the country, Luton for the north with a coordinated slot, Biggin Hill for the City. The UK needs the General Aviation Report filed before arrival and an Electronic Travel Authorisation for visa-free passengers; the desk handles both.
When is the best time to fly from Riyadh?
October to April. Summer afternoons run above 45 degrees, which cuts aircraft performance and makes a morning or evening departure the sensible plan. Hajj and Umrah move the Jeddah traffic, and Ramadan changes ground timings.
Can I do a same-day return from Riyadh?
To Jeddah, yes, with the aircraft waiting and the permit covering both legs. London and Istanbul are overnight trips for the crew, and the desk quotes the return sector on the same file.
What documents does the Saudi permit need?
Registration, airworthiness, insurance, the crew licences and the passport details of everyone aboard, with the schedule. Charter flights add the operator certificate. The desk files two to three working days ahead and longer around the holidays.
Does Riyadh have an FBO?
Yes. Business aviation is handled on the field with a dedicated terminal, and the desk arranges the handling, the car to the aircraft and the customs clearance at the aircraft for international arrivals.
Can I fly the reverse direction?
Yes. Every route page covers both directions, and the sectors from Dubai and Cairo into Riyadh and Jeddah have their own guides on the Dubai and Cairo hubs.
Get your number
Flying from Saudi Arabia? Quoted from the desk
Tell us the dates, the passengers and the sector. You get an aircraft that fits, the paperwork filed and a number you can hold us to.
Contact UsPrefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203 or email charter@icarusjet.com. The desk is staffed 24/7.