Saudi eyes electric jets to reach Mecca, new resorts 

RIYADH, Oct 14: Saudi Arabia's flag carrier is turning to a cash-strapped German firm for electric jets to service routes to new luxury resorts and the holy city of Mecca, an official said.

The aircraft from Munich-based Lilium will provide direct links to hard-to-reach routes along the Red Sea coast and ferry Muslim pilgrims directly from Jeddah to Mecca, which does not have an airport, Saudia communications affairs manager Razan Shaker said.

"Our strategy is that it will help in bridging the locations and the cities that don't have an airport or that are maybe hard to go to," she told AFP on the sidelines of a logistics forum in Riyadh.
The plans include flying pilgrims to the iconic Fairmont Makkah Clock Royal Tower hotel, near Mecca's Grand Mosque, where "we're working on creating a helipad", she said.    —AFP