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  About Riyadh

Riyadh is the capital of the desert country of Saudi Arabia. It is the financial hub of the city and has been recognised to play a pivotal role in contributing to the country's economy. The city is also famous for its religious heritage.

Best time to visit Riyadh

For a desert city, the only time that would be pleasant is during the winters. Riyadh too enjoys pleasant winters as it welcomes a quaint and cool air. Winter months in Riyadh are from November to March. However, it is from December to February that the city enjoys the best winter breeze and cool air. The temperatures during winters range from 9 degree Celsius to 26 degree Celsius. As the temperature is capable of dropping to such lows, it is best to pack appropriate clothes for the trip. The days might not be as cold as the nights, but they will have brisk winter wind passing through the city streets. A light jacket is recommended when planning for a vacation in Riyadh during winters. The season does see a peak in tourists too as it is one of the most favourable weathers for Riyadh. The city is packed with tourists who wish to explore the desert capital of Saudi Arabia. Hence, the hotel prices also skyrocket during this time. It would be difficult for you even to get reservations at restaurants owing to the excess crowd in the city.

You will be amazed by how the city has very favourable winter temperatures in contrast to their unbearable summers. As Riyadh is quite close to the Tropic of Cancer, much of the temperature is hot and dry. Add the desert fact and the summers can be next to impossible to deal with. The temperatures during summer cross 44 degree Celsius. You will not be able to step out in the city as the summer heat would lead to health perils. From dehydration to heat strokes, your body might be susceptible to such health concerns during summer. Avoid summers at all cost. Even though the hotel and other prices in the city drop during the offseason, the heat is not worth it. The summers are from late March to October. Interestingly, the city does witness thunderstorms and monsoon between May to September. The storms are not ideal for engaging in tourist activities. Out of these months, April and October are the only favourable ones when you can enjoy the cool breeze of the desert without having to spend exorbitantly on the hotel and other services.

Places to visit in Riyadh

Center Point is a colossal skyscraper that is located in Riyadh. It is the fifth tallest skyscraper in Saudi Arabia while being the third-towering building with a void, after the Shanghai World Financial Centre and 85 Sky Tower in Taiwan. The second famous tourist attraction is the Masmak Fortress. The structure is created by clay and mud-brick. It once played a pivotal role in safeguarding the city of Riyadh from attacks. You should also visit the King Abdulaziz Historical Center, which is basically the National Museum of the country. It is the largest in Saudi Arabia and was established back in 1999. Not just the exhibits within the museum premise but even the architecture of the building is quite exquisite. The Riyadh Zoo is also recognised in the neighbourhood for inhabiting a slew of desert animals, including desert elephants and tigers. The setting has a very cool vibe with brown structures and green lawns. Adding to your historical excursion would be to visit the Murabba Historical Palace. It is a historic building and has been strategically built.

Things to do in Riyadh

Riyadh has a handful of things that can be done in the city. Indulging in some fun sheesha bar scenes and nightlife is something the city raves. Riyadh does have some of the finest restaurants and food establishments. You can actually make reservations for some luxe restaurants and indulge in their fusion food and international cuisine. You can further engage in some shopping too as the city does have a plethora of options available. Aside from this, you can enjoy a walk in Salam Park. It has an artificial waterbody built within the park to give it a serene vibe. Visiting the Wadi Hanifah valley would also be quite a treat. You can actually dip your feed in the waterbody that flows in the valley. Many people flock over to this spot to get some impeccable social media-worthy pictures. To add to your delight, you can further explore the cuisine and authentic Arab food that you'll find in the Najd region's village. Al Hokair Land is also an option that you can check out in Riyadh. It is basically a fun amusement park that has rides and make-believe castles.

Food and restaurants in Riyadh

Once known to be a barren desert with nothing interesting to do, Riyadh has now managed to transform into a thriving capital city of Saudi Arabia. The city has managed to bring forth a new image, that of a flourishing city which has equal tourist opportunities as its other Middle East counterparts. Over the years, Riyadh's food culture has seen a tremendous change from being traditionally strict to Western. It has acquired the taste of Western food culture and has incorporated the same in its own streets. There are many authentic Arabic food establishments. Simultaneously, the city also has room for international cuisine with many Asian, Mediterranean and European cuisine. To start your Riyadh rendezvous, you should visit The Globe. It is the most famous and expensive establishment that caters to an exclusive fine-dining experience. It is nestled atop the Al Faisaliah Tower and overlooks the exquisite city. The place serves a lovely melange of European and Arab dishes. However, it is their High Tea that attracts the most attention.

Elements, which is associated with Four Seasons chain of hotels, is a perfect place to indulge in breakfast and brunch meals. The place has dedicated cuisine for each day. Spazio, in Riyadh, has a fan in the royal family. Prince Waleed bin Tala has a soft spot for Spazio, and once you visit the Italian setting with its fancy art deco, you will realise why the place is so good. To get to the roots of the traditional Saudi dishes, you should head to Najd Village. Prevalent in the food industry since 1996, the establishment offers authentic Saudi meals such as moqalqal (a peppered lamb dish) and matazzez (Saudi dumplings). The place also offers vegetarian food as well as caters to the meat-loving crowd. The area can accommodate up to 1000 guests and offer exemplary services. Do not miss Set Al Sham too. The place is well-known in Riyadh for its slew of dishes inspired by the Syrian, Egyptian and Lebanese cuisine. The decor is also quite fancy while the buffet spread is perfect if you wish to go back with a full tummy and a happy soul.

How to reach Riyadh

Flight connectivity to Riyadh from India is quite good. Much of the Middle Eastern countries are well-connected with Indian cities. Riyadh too, has good connectivity with Indian cities such as Mumbai, Kochi, Goa, Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, to name a few. Delhi is probably the only city in India with nonstop direct flights to Riyadh. Most of the other cities have flight layovers before reaching Riyadh. Airlines such as Srilankan, Air Arabia, Etihad Airways, flydubai, Gulf Air, Emirates, Oman Air, Saudia, IndiGo, have excellent flight connectivity to Riyadh. These airlines ensure to keep dedicated flights flying to Riyadh. The most popular routes often picked to reach Riyadh are from Dubai, Jeddah and Abu Dhabi. As for other international routes to Riyadh, they are connected by Middle Eastern cities such as Sharjah, Bahrain, Muscat, to name a few. International cities such as Cairo and Colombo also have flight connectivity to Riyadh. The layovers do take some time and extend the flight duration to Riyadh. Ideally, you can reach Riyadh in approximately six hours and ten minutes.

Flight tickets to Riyadh are comparatively pricey than its other Middle-Eastern counterparts. The ticket prices to Riyadh range from INR 24,000 to INR 30,000. This could be steep if you look at the ticket prices of other Middle-East cities. However, depending on where you get your flight from in India as well as the airlines you choose, the ticket prices could vary. Riyadh is also a popular city and much-visited by the Indian crowd. Hence, you can make your flight bookings to Riyadh online and even earn some discounts or cheap deals. It is essential that you first check which season you are booking your ticket for. That factors a major chunk of your flight ticket price to Riyadh. Depending on the same, you will be able to further receive more online flight deals and discounts to Riyadh. It is recommended that you book your flight tickets and make hotel reservations to Riyadh together. When you combine the two bookings, you might receive some good online flight and hotel deals to Riyadh. This would also enable you to bring down the cost of your trip.

  About Azerbaijan Airlines

Azerbaijan Airlines also referred to as Azal, is the national flag carrier of the country Azerbaijan. It is also the largest airline in the country. Based out of Baku, the airline is adjacent to Heydar Aliyev International Airport. It operates to destinations, predominantly across the Asian continent, the European continent and Commonwealth of Independent States region. The airline is also an active member of the International Air Transport Association. Founded in 1992, Azerbaijan Airlines was recognised as the first national carrier that came into existence after the country realised its independence. The country of Azerbaijan, in 1990, announced that they were planning on setting up a national airline, which would be independent of Aeroflot, the long-time provider of air transport to a slew of Soviet republics. After construction of a management plan, Azerbaijan Airlines was officially founded in 1992 under the presidency of Vagif Sadykhly. Although initially, the airline was formed as a regional branch to Aeroflot, Azerbaijan Airlines eventually managed to set free from the exclusive domain of Aeroflot.

The first flight to operate under Azerbaijan Airlines was a scheduled route from Baku to Istanbul. The flight operation was conducted in a partnership with Turkish Airlines as well as cargo entity Aviasharg was also founded in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates. Azerbaijan Airlines received a massive fleet from Aeroflot which also included 20 Soviet-manufactured aircraft Tupolev airliners. Further, the airline received a few regional airliners and freighters, light aircraft as well as helicopters. Azerbaijan Airlines also leased a pair of its Boeing 727s, but it originally belonged to Pan Am. The airline formed an extensive partnership with Aviation Leasing Group, who leased Azerbaijan Airlines with the Boeing 727s. Following a much-needed joint venture between Azerbaijan Airlines and Aviation Leasing Group's Buffalo Airways, a transatlantic charter cargo was also created as a joint venture. The venture was also used to help train Azerbaijan Airlines' air crews to meet with Western standards, in the US State of Texas. In 1994, the airline commenced a route to Dubai, which became a key source of Wester goods for Azerbaijan, along with Istanbul.

Soon, Azerbaijan Airlines further started accommodating international routes such as Tel Aviv, China, Tehran, London and Saint Petersburg. By mid-1998 though, a string of regional and domestic routes was suspended due to low-profit margins. The airline also needed to work on repairing three of their Yak-40 aircraft. With exceptions of a handful of major destinations, Azerbaijan Airlines further suspended services to its neighbouring Commonwealth of Independent States countries. As Azerbaijan Airlines incurred some debts, they avoided adding flight schedules to destinations that didn't yield profit. The country's border dispute with Armenia over Nagorno - Karabakh further led to a delay of financing for the two new Boeing 757s that the airline had ordered from the US Ex-Im Bank. Eventually, by the fall of 2000, Azerbaijan Airlines received its first Boeing 757s. The perks of adding these Boeing aircraft to its fleet benefitted Azerbaijan Airlines tremendously as it brought forth a range of comfort and efficiency, especially for long-haul flights to international routes. This also helped Azerbaijan put forth an image of the country being ahead of the game.

In 2001, Azerbaijan Airlines introduced a new international route of Paris - Baku which took place in collaboration with Air France. Although predominantly an Islamic country, the repercussions of the 9/11 terrorists' attack on the United States led to a drastic reduction in air traffic. Despite the challenges of less air traffic, Azerbaijan Airlines managed to earn a profit in 2001 and made progress in paying off the debts incurred.

Fleet size of Azerbaijan Airlines

The current operational fleet of Azerbaijan Airlines has 22 aircraft. They follow a mixed fleet which comprises Airbus, Boeing and some VIP flights too. Presently, there are three Airbus A319-100, six Airbus A320-200, two Airbus A340-500, two Boeing 757-200, two Boeing 767-300ER and two Boeing 787-8. Out of these, the airline is also expecting orders of ten Irkut MC-21-300 and five Boeing 787-8. It also offers a rich VIP fleet that comprises Airbus ACJ319, Airbus ACJ320, Airbus A340-600, Boeing 767-300ER and Boeing 777-200LR. These are also part of the fleet. In the past, Azerbaijan Airlines operated a number of diverse aircraft, including the Russian-manufactured aircraft such as Tupolev Tu-134 and Tupolev Tu-154M. Along with these, the airline also had ATR 42-500, ATR 72-200, Canadair CL-44, Embraer 170 and Ilyushin IL-76.

Baggage Allowance

Azerbaijan Airlines' baggage allowance policy differs from the cabin class and ticket type of passenger. Passengers who are travelling from Azerbaijan Airlines and are part of the VIP club can carry a weight that could go up to 32 kg the most. The passenger can catch an additional three pieces of checked baggage. Business-class passengers can carry the same weight as that of First Class, but the only difference being the number of baggage pieces, which is two. The comfort club class of Azerbaijan Airlines also has a baggage allowance of 32 kg of which the passenger is allowed two bags as checked luggage. The economy class only allows passengers to carry only one piece of baggage and weight, which should not exceed 23 kg. In case passengers carry extra luggage or weight, they can make the purchase for extra baggage at the airport's check-in counter. Tariff for the extra baggage has been mentioned on the airline's official website. A dimension for the baggage size is set by the airline, which is 158 cm. Passengers are not allowed to carry more than the said number, according to Azerbaijan Airlines. Failure to meet this would require the passenger to send the baggage via cargo.

In-flight services

Azerbaijan Airlines' aircraft come with excellent new facilities that even the airline realises now. The seating is exquisite and made of leather. The comfortable chairs aren't the only thing that makes the experience of travelling with Azerbaijan Airlines exquisite. The airline also has some immaculate in-flight services. These range from provisions of personalised entertainment systems that have been installed on every seat, the in-flight meal service that is complementary depending on the duration of the flight. The staff is also quite happy and friendly with the passengers onboard.

Popular routes and top cities for Azerbaijan Airlines

Azerbaijan Airlines is known to connect to a handful of domestic route cities along with a slew of international route cities that are predominantly spread across Europe, Asia, the USA and the CIS. Some of its domestic route operations include destinations such as Baku, Ganja, Nakhchivan, Qabala and Zaqatala. In terms of international route destinations, Azerbaijan Airlines has yet again proved to be an asset as it has some immaculate connections with destinations that are not mostly covered by big cities and big airlines. These cities include Kabul, Vienna, Minsk, Split, Prague, Paris, Berlin, Athens, Delhi, Ardabil, Tabriz, Tel Aviv, Mashhad, Milan, Kuwait City, Bishkek, Tivat, Karachi, Astrakhan, Moscow, Orenburg, Perm, Samara, Volgograd, Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh, Barcelona, Geneva, Adana, Ankara, Bodrum, Istanbul, Izmir, Ashgabat, Kyiv, Lviv, Dubai, London and New York City. The airline has a few codeshare agreements too, with airlines namely Air Arabia, Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, SCAT Airlines, Air France, Belavia, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, airBaltic, Etihad Airways, S7 Airlines and Ukraine International Airlines.

Why travel by Azerbaijan Airlines?

Azerbaijan Airlines is a fairly new airline and is yet to make a massive mark on passengers or even the aviation industry. The airline is majorly recognised for being a national flag carrier which has considerably decent domestic routes and international routes to connect better with other destinations. Even though the airline started regional routes to certain destinations that would otherwise be difficult to reach, they suspended the operations.

However, with a view to expanding and getting better at their connectivity and passenger service, the airline has been doing a lot of work. Azerbaijan Airlines has recently started expanding its fleet to accommodate the latest and newer version of aircraft that meets with the necessities and comfort of the passengers. Along with this, they have also catered to enhancing the in-flight services with better provisions that would attract passengers or prospective customers. Although there is no dedicated lounge facility for which Azerbaijan Airlines can give access. However, their enhanced fleet can offer a good service.

Not to mention how they have now enabled online web check-ins, booking an Azerbaijan Airlines flight ticket online without any hassle, knowing updates on the flight status and other such perks. The revamped website of Azerbaijan Airlines also has flight schedules that would make it easier for travellers to plan a proper trip. It always comes handy to know what flight is leaving the airport and at what time. On booking a flight with Azerbaijan Airlines, the airline would also share details of the baggage allowance as many people often find it difficult to understand airport policies. With such enhanced offers present with Azerbaijan Airlines, passengers can consider this as an airline that would best suit your travel needs.