Mumbai05 Jan 23 1 Traveller Economy
Showing International Flight from Abha
About Abha
Located in the Aseer Province is the lush green city of Abha in Saudi Arabia. The city's proximity to the Red Sea and other intriguing geographical features give it a canvas, unlike the rest of Saudi Arabia. The city's Aseer National Park is famously known for being home to some of the exotic birds. It also houses dense juniper forests. The city is famed for its mild temperatures and is hence, a prominent tourist destination in Saudi Arabia.
Best time to visit Abha
Unlike some parts of Saudi Arabia, Abha actually enjoys some pleasant weather with equal summers and winters. In fact, it is one of the colder parts of Saudi, which enjoys a mild climate all year long. The temperatures go as high as 34 degree Celsius during summers and are surprisingly quite low during winters. In fact, there was a time when the recorded temperature crossed the negatives. While this might have happened in the past, the temperatures don't cross negatives anymore. However, it is one of the pleasant cities in Saudi Arabia with a lovely weather that makes travelling ideal for every season. The winter season in Abha is from December to February. During these months, the temperature could touch a staggering low, and you might need to carry enough parkas to ensure that you don't have trouble breathing. The city's rough climate does make it unfavourable to travel and engage in touristy activities. The season does see a drop in the hotel prices as well. If you are okay with the excessively cold winters in Abha, then you should book your tickets and hotels too.
June to September is considered to be the best season for a tourist excursion in Abha. The summers are quite decent as the temperatures don't touch beyond 34 degree Celsius. While it might seem too much for some people, it is actually quite convenient as there is less humidity in the air during this time. The hot and dry summers are tolerable as long as you carry proper bottles of water and hydrate yourself at all times. Out of the summer months, August is recognised as the best month to visit Abha. The city has perfect temperatures and doesn't require you to go beyond your limits to enjoy the vibe. The hotel prices in Abha during the peak season does see a surge though. Since many folks from around Saudi Arabia also flock over to Abha for a summer vacation, it could be a little crowded with a spike in the hotel prices. You might want to make prior bookings of flights and hotels in Abha if you want to evade the tourist crowd. Or you can avoid the tourist crowd altogether by visiting the city during spring, which is from March to May.
Places to visit in Abha
Abha's pride comes from the exquisite Green Mountain, which is located at the heart of the city. It is basically a mountain that has been lined up with green lights to complement the name. Abha Dam is another place that you should visit. The water body is surrounded by lovely land on all sides. There are many restaurants too around the dam that would add to the quaint vibe of the place. Do not miss the Art Street in Abha. It is more of a park laced with well-maintained streets and has shrubs on either side of the track. The place is beautiful, and you will have a good time hanging out here. You should also visit the Aseer National Park. Connected to the Jabal mountains, the coastal park has many cold spots. You would find the best air and vibe in the national park. Al Sahab Park is another such place that would keep you engaged. You will have to rent a car out and drive up to the amusement park. It is actually one of the first amusement parks that were constructed in Abha. The park is second to the Al Saudah Park, which is about 15 km away.
Things to do in Abha
Do not be surprised by the greenery that you will find in the desert city of Abha. As part of your excursion in Abha, you can visit Jabal Sawda by trekking up the peak. Aside from the Sawda, you should also trek up the trails of Jabal Ferwa. The two Saudi Arabian mountains would be cold, so make sure to carry a light jacket and lots of water. If trekking is not your thing, then you should visit Abu Kheyal Park. It is relaxing and has lovely floral trees lined up that adds to the beauty of the place. As the city has many parks and green spaces, you should also check out the Andalus Park. This place is especially perfect if you are travelling with kids. They can have fun on the slides while you can relax and enjoy the breeze while lying on the grass. As the city is surrounded by many parks and mountains, you will always be up for something to do.
Food and restaurants in Abha
Jalamah is a famous dish that you will find in the city. It is a traditional Saudi Arabian dish which is made from lamb. The meat is blended perfectly with Arabic spices consisting of cinnamon, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom and coriander. The aromatic stew certainly brings a lot of flavour on the plate that you would enjoy. Saleeg is another famous dish of the Saudis which is basically rice porridge topped with a marinated and roasted piece of meat. It could be lamb or chicken or any meat of your choice. The lovely dish is comforting and would be a nice indulgence. Another dish that you would find in Abha, a common Saudi meal is the Martabak. A roti-like bread is stuffed with ground meat, garlic, eggs, curry, peppers and onions. It is basically a Saudi version of a paratha. You can actually eat this when you are not in the mood to eat excessively. Do leave some room for dessert as the famous Saudi savour Ma'amoul is a must-have. It is basically a dome-shaped tasty sweet made with fillings of fruits, walnuts, dates and more.
The options of indulgence in Abha is minimal. The city does not have a plethora of food joints with international or fusion cuisine. The place is humble and serves most of Saudi-inspired menu at their restaurants. Most of their restaurants are for a family setting. You can find some tasty Saudi dishes along with plates of mezze meals. Some of the main restaurants include Al-Tahy, N Lounge, Maharaj Indian Restaurant, to name a few. The Green Mountain Restaurant is actually a good place for you to hang out with your family or friends. The place is perched atop a lovely hill and illuminates the scintillating lights of the city. The breath-taking view interspersed with tasty food is definitely unmissable. You can also get coffee and cake as the establishment serves a lot of things.
How to reach Abha
The flight connectivity to Abha is quite decent. Although there are no direct flights to Abha from Indian cities, there are flights connecting to the Saudi city. The most popular route to Abha is from Jeddah and Riyadh. Both the cities are located in Saudi Arabia, and this domestic route to Abha is perfect and well-connected. Airlines such as Air Arabia, Flynas, Saudia, flydubai, Emirates, Etihad Airways, to name a few, have immaculate flight connectivity to Abha. A majority of these flights have layovers in Sharjah, Jeddah, Riyadh and Dubai. These cities offer enough options to reach Abha and hence, are more popular. It is imperative that you get a transit visa as it is required in Saudi cities. Interestingly, Jeddah and Riyadh are the only cities where you will need a transit visa. You can either get it from the embassy, or you can apply for the same online. Saudi Arabia's embassy website has the form that you need to fill out to apply for the transit visa. The flight duration to Abha ranges from 11 hours to 13 hours approximately.
The domestic route from Jeddah is considered to reach Abha. Since flight connectivity to Jeddah is much better than Abha, it is often a better way to reach the Saudi city. The flight tickets to Abha are quite reasonable. The ticket price to Abha ranges from INR 19,000 to INR 25,000. You can actually get tickets to Abha for cheap, provided you spend time on the internet and get hold of some flight deals. A little snooping around on the internet will help you find the best flight deals to Abha online. Along with the flight tickets, you can also book your hotel in Abha. This will actually enable you to receive more discounts and offers. You will have to check for peak season as the flight tickets will be expensive during this time.
About KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, professionally known as Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, is the national flag carrier of the Netherlands. The airline has its headquarters in Amstelveen with its main hub in Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The airline is part of the Air France - KLM group and is also a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. It was founded in 1919 and is easily the oldest airline in the world, which is over a century old. Despite being in the aviation industry for 100 years, KLM has not undergone a rebranding in terms of its name. As of 2015, the airline accommodated 35,488 employees and had a fleet size of 119. KLM operates as a scheduled passenger and cargo carrier with services to over 145 destinations worldwide. The airline's first flight, following its establishment in 1919, took place in 1920 from Croydon Airport in London to Amsterdam. For the same, a leased Aircraft Transport and Travel de Havilland DH - 16 was used. It carried two British journalists along with some newspapers. The same year, the airline also carried about 440 passengers along with 22 tonnes of freight.
KLM made its international debut by flying its first international flight to Jakarta and Java, which were part of the Dutch colony and called Dutch East Indies during that period. The airline expanded its wings and acquired more destinations in Europe such as Rotterdam, Brussels, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Malmö, Bremen, Paris and London. With the onset of World War II, the flight operations were put on hold as all the aircraft was shifted to Britain following an invasion by Germany. Post World War II, the airline underwent some significant losses. The Dutch government expressed its desire to gain more stakes in the airline and nationalised it in the process. However, under Albert Plesman's leadership, KLM did not agree to the deal and continued to be a private entity. But as he passed away in 1953, the Ditch government intervened to save KLM from the economic crisis and eventually nationalised the airline. KLM entered the Jet age by acquiring the four-engine turboprop aircraft of Vickers Viscount 800 in 1959. They also acquired the first Douglas DC-8 jet to join their fleet. The following years witnessed quite a few leadership changes as many of the presidents who took office in KLM suffered from health issues or accidents and deaths.
By 1975, KLM started adding Boeing combi aircraft in its fleet which predominantly consisted of Douglas DC-8 aircraft. The idea was to introduce flights that would cater to passengers as well as carry freight. This was followed by some significant changes in the airline's fleet as they started acquiring more Boeing and Airbus aircraft to replace the Douglas planes. The airline also suffered from some economic crisis which led to the Dutch government intervening once again to take up more shares in the venture and bring it out of losses. In 1995, KLM managed to stabilise its finances and buy back the shares from the Dutch government yet again to become a private company. In 2003, the airline agreed to merge with Air France and become partners to the subsidiary Air France - KLM. While retaining their own brands, the Air France - KLM subsidiary's key hubs became Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Air France - KLM was also listed on the Euronext exchanges in Paris, Amsterdam as well as New York. The same year, KLM and Northwest joined the airline alliance SkyTeam.
KLM celebrated its centennial in 2019 as it was founded in 1919. As an airline that has managed to sustain for an entire century and to operate under its original name with no rebranding or renaming, KLM is the first airline in the world to have achieved such a feat. It has also been the recipient of several accolades included Best Airline Staff Service in Europe which was recognised at the World Airline Awards 2013.
Fleet size of KLM
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has a fleet size of 116 which includes aircraft such as Airbus A330-200, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 777-300ERs and more. The airline's fleet mainly consists of a series of Boeing aircraft with variants of Airbus A330 model. The fleet size includes the cargo fleet too, which comprises four Boeing 747-400ERFs. The airline's first of the eight Boeing 787-10 aircraft were delivered in 2019, which also marked its centennial in the aviation industry. In 2013, the airline ordered seven Airbus A350-900s to join the fleet. However, in 2019, the Air France - KLM airline announced that they would not be taking any of KLM's ordered A350s for fleet rationalisation purposes. In the same year, KLM's CEO made an announcement at Air France's Investor Day that the airline will only be accommodating and utilising 777 and 787 aircraft from Boeing for their long-haul flight journeys. With this, they plan to retire thirteen of their A330s. The aim is to make KLM an all-Boeing airline which has room for no other aircraft.
Baggage Allowance
KLM Royal Airlines' baggage allowance follows the standard protocols set by global aviation. Passengers travelling from the economy class will be required to carry a weight of maximum 23 kg and a combined dimension of 158 cm. However, passengers who are part of SkyTeam Elite, Elite Plus or members of Flying Blue Silver, Gold and Platinum programmes are allowed to carry a piece of extra baggage along with them for checked luggage. However, the weight and dimensions of the baggage must be the same as mentioned. The business class passengers are allowed to carry two items of baggage that can weigh as much as 32 kg. The dimension of the baggage should also not exceed 158 cm, the same as the economy class. However, passengers who are members of the SkyTeam elite programmes or the KLM Flying Blue programmes will receive an additional baggage piece that they can carry.
The hand baggage that can be taken in the cabin also depends on the ticket type of passenger. The economy class passengers are allowed to carry about 1 item of hand baggage along with an accessory bag which could be a laptop bag, briefcase, handbag, etc. The collective weight of the hand baggage should not exceed 12 kg, and the dimension should not go beyond 55 x 35 x 25 cm for the luggage and 40 x 30 x 15 cm for an accessory bag. With the same criteria for the business class' hand baggage, the airline does offer two pieces of bags instead of one, and the total weight cannot exceed 18 kg.
In-flight services
KLM's in-flight services cater to the comfort and convenience of the passengers who are travelling with the airline. Right from exquisite seating arrangement equipped with best facilities like legroom, personal lamp, entertainment system to amazing in-flight meals, KLM has the best in-flight services to offer.
Popular routes and top cities for KLM
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines' illustrious history in the aviation industry goes back a hundred years. They have since extended their domestic routes and international routes phenomenally by acquiring services to a slew of destinations. What started as a 12-days long flight between Amsterdam to Batavia (present-day Jakarta) has since witnessed tremendous growth in terms of catering to many cities in the world. Currently, the airline services two domestic routes while connecting with 133 international route destinations that are spread across 66 countries.
Some of the top cities for KLM include Buenos Aires, Graz, Vienna, Manama, Rio de Janeiro, Brussels, Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, Beijing, Shanghai, San Jose, Zagreb, Prague, Copenhagen, Quito, Helsinki, Bordeaux, Nice, Paris, Marseille, Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Accra, Athens, Hong Kong, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Jakarta, Dublin, Florence, Rome, Milan, Osaka, Tokyo-Narita, Kuwait City, Luxembourg City, Amsterdam, Lagos, Muscat, Manila, Warsaw, Lisbon, Moscow, Singapore, Cape Town, Seoul, Ibiza, Madrid, Stockholm, Geneva, Bangkok, Istanbul, Dubai, Bristol, London, Manchester, New York City, San Francisco, Newark, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Ho Chi Minh City and Lusaka, to name a few.
KLM also has codeshare agreements with a plethora of airlines including Aer Lingus, Aeroflot, Air France, Air Mauritius, Bangkok Airways, Alitalia, China Airlines, Copa Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Etihad Airways, Kenya Airways, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Saudia, Qantas, Sichuan Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, WestJet and XianmenAir, to name a few.
Why travel by KLM?
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is a legacy that is recognised worldwide for being the oldest airline. The company has grown with time and further worked on constantly engaging their loyal customers with the best of in-flight services and flight experience. Passengers can do web check-ins on the airline's website as well as a mobile app. They can further book a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight ticket too and get updates on the flight status. For passengers to need to know more about the KLM flight schedules, the same can be found on the airline's official website. The option to book KLM flights are also available on various other travel websites.
