“The unique position of building an airline and airport from scratch provides the freedom to personalise the customer experience in a way not seen before in the aviation industry,” said Klaus Goersch, CEO of NEOM Airlines.

Mega-city has revealed plans to build the airport and airlines using lessons from history combined with technology like biometrics and artificial intelligence (AI).

With the advantage of no pre-existing infrastructure of business models, the destination aims to curate a travel process like no other.

Potential features

Bag pick-up from home or hotel and delivered to destination hotel or residence eliminating the hassle for the traveller to deal with baggage-related processes.

Advanced biometric facial recognition with the ability to recognise the traveller upon entering the building, providing instant security clearance without the need to go through a gate.

Ability to change flights as per convenience with no hassle or extra costs.

Lounge-style service throughout the airport.

Loyalty points at all retail points and for flights.

NEOM’s plans for seamless travel

Termed as the ‘new future’ NEOM states that the goal is to make the traveller’s journey as seamless as possible.

NEOM Airline is set to be operational at the end of next year, initially starting with existing technology and eventually implementing the use of technological advancements like electric, hydrogen-powered or supersonic aircraft – by 2026.

Discussions are currently underway with plane, interior and seat manufacturers.

Furthermore, the flights will be operated using sustainable fuel produced at the mixing facilities in NEOM. Sustainability will also be incorporated into the food served, which will be sourced locally and delivered on-demand at a time requested by the traveller, unlike current airline food service which is done at a pre-scheduled time for all travellers.

“Without Emirates, for example, there wouldn’t be a Dubai right? Be ready for a completely different travel experience,” the statement read.

The airline also aims to bring improvement to inflight entertainment systems with increased screen sizes, 6G Wi-Fi, passenger device compatibility, gaming and chat options.

“If I’m a regular traveller, why do I have to choose from 50 movies I’ve already seen? Why can’t I have 200 movies I may not have watched? Why can’t I use the time to catch up on emails or watch Netflix? Although not all solutions require expensive tech,” said John Selde, CEO of NEOM Airports.

“There is a freedom in starting from zero and being well funded enough to explore the ideas that challenge the accepted norms. We can be futuristic and efficient, we don’t have to modify or retrofit,” Goersch explained.