Will no-frills airlines turn Saudi into the new Spain?

“Some more pics from a dream holiday,” writes Carrie Johnson, current wife of the former prime minister.

- SIMON CALDER

“Some more pics from a dream holiday,” writes Carrie Johnson, current wife of the former prime minister. She posted this week from the beach in Saudi Arabia on Instagram: “I forgot to mention how incredible the water sports are too – particularly the diving and the snorkelling.”

Let us leave Ms Johnson and her family beside the warm waters of the Red Sea and switch to Wizz Air – which is pushing the boundaries of no-frills flying. The Hungarian budget airline finds itself competing in an increasingly crowded European aviation market in which it occupies an uncomfortable third place behind Ryanair and easyJet.

The sensible response: create some new routes. Equipped with brand-new long-range Airbus A321XLR aircraft, Wizz will connect Sussex with Saudi Arabia from this summer on two links.

One of the new routes from London Gatwick airport is Jeddah, the main city on the Red Sea. National carrier Saudia already flies from London Heathrow three times a day, with plans to launch from Gatwick, while British Airways flies to Jeddah and back daily.