Saudi Arabia’s AlUla has teamed up with Saudia Airlines to offer an inflight experience called ‘Museum in the Sky’, the world’s first flying museum.
The ‘Museum in the Sky’ flight will take off from Riyadh to AlUla, billed as the world’s largest living museum, on November 4, 2021 (via Gulf Business).
“There is an extraordinary volume of work ongoing in AlUla by both local and international archaeological teams, and yet we are only just beginning to understand the complexity of AlUla’s past,” said Dr Rebecca Foote, director of archaeology and cultural heritage research at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU).
World’s first flying museum experience
“AlUla is a true hidden gem in the Arabian Peninsula, and we are slowly revealing its secrets. I am looking forward to sharing more about our work to the passengers onboard Saudia’s Museum in the Sky.”
The flying museum will feature a collection of replica artefacts that have been discovered at AlUla, and Saudia is launching a new channel on its in-flight entertainment system (IFE) called Discover Saudi Arabia.
Discover Saudi Arabia includes the Discovery Channel documentary Architects of Ancient Arabia, which explores ancient civilisations at AlUla.
“We have created a dedicated channel in our in-flight entertainment system to display this beautifully produced documentary by the Discovery Channel,” said Khaled Tash, vice president of corporate communication at Saudia Group.
Living museum coming to Saudi Arabia
“Broadening our partnership with the Royal Commission for AlUla, we are creating a ‘Museum in the Sky’ experience to AlUla that brings its rich heritage to life on board Saudia.”
“This was a special project for Discovery, and AlUla is a special place with untouched desert and some of the most stunningly well-preserved evidence of ancient civilizations,” added Kerrie McEvoy, channel director for Discovery Channel, Europe, Middle East and Africa.
RCU is investing $5.2bn in the development of the first phase of AlUla, which is set to complete in 2023. The $15bn master plan for AlUla will be developed in three phases in 2023, 2030 and 2035.
Images: RCU/Saudia Airlines
