After much speculation, two private airline licenses have been awarded, heralding the beginning of a new era for aviation in Saudi Arabia. The Supreme Economic Council, which is personally headed by King Abdullah and steers the kingdom’s economic development, decided in 2005 to liberalize the sector and allow private operators to set up and compete with the state-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines. There were six applicants for the licenses last year, which the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) whittled down to two. The successful bidders were Sama Airlines and National Air Services (NAS) both winning on a mandate to offer low cost services across the kingdom with a view to expanding outside in the future. Riyadh-based NAS is one of the best known regional private aviation operators in the kingdom, which has one of the highest appetites for private air travel in the world. Ali al-Naqbi, Chairman of the Middle
