Qatar Airways is one step closer to starting a new airline in Saudi, reports Reuters.

14 companies originally applied for licences to operate flights in the country, only 7 of which have been shortlisted by the General Authority for Civil Aviation.

Gulf Air and Bahrain Air are also in the final seven.

Qatar announced its bid to enter the Saudi domestic aviation market earlier this month.

The country’s aviation sector is a growth market. Last year, 54 million passengers passed through Saudi’s 27 airports, an increase of 13.6% since 2010.

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Caribb