The high-tech city is in the process of being built by Saudi Arabia.

Saudia will launch the first scheduled commercial flights from Neom, the “smart city” Saudi Arabia is building in the northwest of the country, with a connection to Dubai (DXB).

The Neom Bay Airport (NUM)-DXB route will be operated 1X-weekly starting at the end of June. The Saudi flag carrier said service from NUM to London will “follow shortly,” but did not provide specifics or a date for launching flights to the UK capital.

Saudia also said it plans “flights to select regional and international destinations” from NUM, indicating more route announcements are on the horizon.

The NUM-DXB route is a joint effort by Saudi and Neom, the company building the new city, and aircraft operating the service will sport a “NEOM-SAUDIA” livery.

“This partnership is in line with Saudia’s ambition to support Saudi Vision 2030 by increasing passenger traffic domestically and regionally, as well as expanding our connections to global cities,” Saudia DG Ibrahim Al-Omar said. “As Neom continues to progress, demand for travel to there is only increasing, making it a natural addition to our list of destinations.”

Neom CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr added: “Neom Bay Airport is a key enabler of Neom’s development, facilitating efficient access to Neom for residents and business partners, and drastically improving the ease with which Neom can connect with people from all over the world. This is an exciting step in our journey to provide the best possible air connectivity to Neom and a signal of our rapid growth.”

Saudia noted that Neom “sits at the crossroads of three continents” and flights from NUM can reach 40% of the world in under 4 hrs. flight time.