Cheap flights to Saudi Arabia will begin from Gatwick next year in a UK first.

Budget airline Wizz Air said it would launch the country’s first wallet-friendly flights to Jeddah from 2025.

The carrier announced it will begin flying between Gatwick and the Middle East from March 31 next year using a new Airbus A321XLR plane.

Wizz Air has 47 of the planes on order and will base the first it receives at Gatwick.

The airline will benefit from the new fuel efficient planes to help connect Gatwick to destinations further afield.

Wizz Air chief executive Jozsef Varadi said: “The Airbus A321XLR is the most cost-efficient aircraft in its class.

“Its enhanced range capability allows Wizz Air to connect the farthest destinations in its network, while also providing opportunities for further expansion, connecting more cultures, economies and continents.

“We are excited to offer unbeatable fares to our customers on the new route from London Gatwick to Jeddah.

“Since establishing our base at London Gatwick in 2020, we have demonstrated ambitious growth, making it a natural, strategic decision to operate our first Airbus A321XLR from this airport.”

Flights from Gatwick to Jeddah will be Wizz Air’s longest UK route.

The airline said single fares will start from £134.99.

Asked how Wizz Air’s fares to Saudi Arabia will compare with new flights being offered by British Airways from November, Mr Varadi said: “BA decides on how they price themselves, and we decide how we price ourselves.

“But one thing I know is my cost is a third of British Airways’ cost.”

Flights will last around seven hours and will operate overnight on the outbound route from Gatwick, with seats that do not recline.

Mr Varadi said 15 years ago he thought three-hour flights on an ultra-low-cost airline would “test passengers’ tolerance” but found that people “vote with their wallets”.

He added that people who travel in economy class “sacrifice some level of comfort” for economic benefits and Wizz Air’s flights to Saudi Arabia are “a hell of a deal”.

Wizz Air said the A321XLR’s “carbon intensity” is estimated to be “at least 30 per cent less” than that of other aircraft.