Red Sea Global launches Saudi Arabia’s 2nd water aerodrome after GACA approval

A second water aerodrome is set to be opened in the Red Sea tourist development after an operating license was secured, it has been announced.

The move means passengers will be able to arrive on Sheybarah Island, home to the Shebara resort, by seaplane – with the facility opening to guests in September.

General Authority for Civil Aviation President Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Duailej handed the license for the water aerodrome to Red Sea Global’s CEO John Pagano, saying the granting of the permit forms part of GACA’s transformation program to boost competition and investment in support of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 agenda.

Minister of Transport and Logistics Services Saleh AI-Jasser was also in attendance, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

RSG is one of Saudi Arabia’s giga-projects, and is set to boast 50 hotels across 28,000 sq. km, by 2030, with an ambition of hosting 300,000 guests a year.

“This license is one of the final stepping stones 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,” said Pagano.

“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,” he added.

In 2023, RSG secured the first operating license for a water aerodrome in Saudi Arabia, at Ummahat Island.

It has been servicing passengers to and from the St. Regis Red Sea Resort and Nujuma, a Ritz Carlton Reserve, since they opened on the island earlier in 2024.

More than 520 flights carrying over 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.

It was established to enable the transport of guests to the Red Sea’s islands’ resorts, and will eventually add connections to neighboring destinations and developments such as AMAALA and Al Wajh Airport.

Upon full completion in 2030, the destination will offer up to 8,000 hotel rooms and more than 1,000 residential properties across 22 islands and six inland sites.

The destination will also include luxury marinas, golf courses, and leisure facilities.