GACA awards Saudi second water aerodrome licence to Red Sea Global

His Excellency Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Duailej, the President of GACA, handed the license for Shebara Resort to RSG’s Group CEO John Pagano at The Red Sea destination. 

The President stated the license award formed part of GACA’s aviation transformation programme to boost competition and investment in support of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 agenda.

Through the Saudi Aviation Strategy GACA is driving unprecedented growth in Saudi aviation, supporting projects such as Red Sea Global with greater aviation infrastructure and connectivity.

As the Kingdom’s aviation regulator, GACA is ensuring the highest levels of safety and quality across the sector, demonstrating Saudi Arabia’s global leadership in the aviation sector.

Pagano said the license was one of the final steppingstones toward opening Shebara to the world. 

“Soon, guests will be arriving by seaplane to this iconic resort in anticipation of enjoying a truly peerless escape,” Mr Pagano said.

“As owners of the Kingdom’s first seaplane airline and its only two water aerodromes up until now, we are firmly establishing ourselves as leaders within tourism and aviation.” 

The aerodrome is located on Sheybarah Island, home to the iconic Shebara Resort, which opens to guests in the coming month.

Last year, RSG secured the first operating license for a water aerodrome in Saudi Arabia, at Ummahat Island.

More than 520 flights carrying more than 1,200 passengers were completed in the first half of the year on a fleet of Cessnas, and RSG expects to transport 3,800 passengers before the end of 2024. 

In 2023 RSG also announced the launch of its subsidiary business Fly Red Sea, the Kingdom’s first seaplane company and water aerodrome operator.

The Red Sea International Airport has been receiving a regular schedule of domestic flights since September 2023 and international flights began in April 2024, with a twice-weekly route between The Red Sea and Dubai International.