A major step in getting NEOM ready for launch.  

The new airport serving Saudi Arabia’s planned $500 billion mega-city NEOM has been classified as a commercial hub by the aviation industry body International Air Transport Association.

“Iata announces NEOM Bay Airport is now officially a commercial airport with over 2,500 passenger boardings each calendar year,” Saudi Projects said on Twitter.

The airport will operate flights between NEOM, located along the Red Sea coast, and the capital city of Riyadh.  The first landing at the airport was in January, according to the state-owned news agency Saudi Press Agency (SPA).  On January 10, the airport received two flights operated by state-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines, or Saudia as it is known, SPA said.