OENN / NUM ground handling — NEOM Bay Airport
NEOM Bay Airport is the executive gateway to Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 coastline: Sindalah, Trojena and the NEOM construction corridor all route through it. It is a young airport with a long runway, a short operating window and a permit chain that punishes late filing. LFS runs the permit, PPR, handling, fuel and protocol threads in parallel so a NEOM rotation behaves like a rotation into Dubai.
Airport reference
- ICAO
- OENN
- IATA
- NUM
- Location
- Sharma, Tabuk Province
- Country
- Saudi Arabia
- Runway
- ≈12,326 ft
- Time zone
- UTC+3 (no DST)
- Permit authority
- GACA
- Access
- PPR required
What LFS coordinates at OENN
GACA permits & PPR
Landing and overflight permits filed with GACA, airport PPR filed in parallel with the operator. Full document set — AOC, insurance, worldwide schedule, crew and pax manifests — assembled by LFS, not by your dispatcher at 02:00.
VIP protocol & security
Apron-side arrival, protocol officer, discreet lounge routing and coordination with private security details. Suited to principal, government and Vision 2030 investor movements into the NEOM zone.
Jet A-1 uplift
Into-plane release confirmed before filing. Where OENN stock is constrained for a large uplift, LFS pre-clears a tech stop at OEJN or OETB so the rotation never waits on a bowser.
Crew support
Crew immigration, transport, hotel within the NEOM and Sharma corridor, duty-time-aware scheduling and standby arrangements for extended ground time.
Slots, PPR & hours
OENN does not run around the clock. LFS confirms the ATC and handling window against your ETA/ETD and negotiates out-of-hours extension where the schedule demands it.
Ramp services
Marshalling, GPU/ASU, pax steps, lavatory and potable water, catering coordination, baggage and cargo handling, de-/anti-ice not applicable at this latitude.
Planning a NEOM Bay rotation
Most delays into OENN are administrative, not operational. The runway takes anything in the business aviation fleet and the apron is rarely congested; the constraint is the sequence of GACA landing permit → airport PPR → handling confirmation → fuel release, where each step expects the previous one to be closed. Filing them serially costs two or three days. LFS opens all four in the same hour and chases the slowest thread.
Second most common issue: passenger visa status. NEOM hosts a heavy flow of investor and contractor traffic, and immigration at OENN applies the same rules as any other Saudi port of entry. Send the passenger manifest with nationalities and visa references at the same time as the schedule, not after the permit is approved.
Third: the operating window. Plan an ETA and ETD inside published hours where possible, and tell LFS early if you cannot — out-of-hours extensions are obtainable but need lead time and carry cost. For multi-leg Red Sea itineraries, pair OENN with our wider Saudi handling coverage and Saudi overflight permits so the whole routing clears under one file.
NEOM Bay Airport FAQ
What is the ICAO and IATA code for NEOM Bay Airport?
NEOM Bay Airport uses ICAO code OENN and IATA code NUM. It sits at Sharma on the Saudi Red Sea coast, roughly 12,300 ft of runway at low elevation, serving the NEOM development zone.
Is NEOM Bay Airport slot controlled?
OENN operates under prior permission required (PPR) rather than a full IATA slot coordination regime. LFS files the PPR request with the airport operator alongside the GACA landing permit, normally 48–72 hours ahead for business aviation movements.
How long does a Saudi landing permit for OENN take?
GACA landing permits for private and charter flights typically clear in 24–48 working hours once the full documentation set is filed. Diplomatic, government and short-notice VIP movements can be expedited; LFS escalates through its Riyadh channel when the schedule requires it.
Is Jet A-1 available at NEOM Bay Airport?
Yes. Jet A-1 is available through the Saudi into-plane arrangement. Because uplift at OENN is not as continuously stocked as at OERK or OEJN, LFS confirms fuel availability and release before the flight plan is filed, and pre-positions a tech-stop alternative when the uplift is large.
Can passengers clear customs and immigration at NEOM Bay Airport?
OENN handles international arrivals with customs, immigration and quarantine on site. Visa status for every passenger and crew member must be confirmed before departure — Saudi eVisa, GCC residency, or a sponsored business visa depending on nationality and purpose of travel.
What VIP handling is available at OENN?
Discreet apron-side arrival, dedicated VIP lounge access, protocol and greeter service, limousine transfer to NEOM sites and Sindalah, crew transport and hotel booking. LFS coordinates protocol requirements with the airport operator and the client's security detail in advance.
What are the operating hours at NEOM Bay Airport?
OENN is not a 24-hour airport by default. Extensions outside published hours are possible with advance notice and additional charges. LFS confirms the ATC and handling window against your ETA/ETD before the trip is confirmed.
How far in advance should an OENN trip be requested?
Five to seven days is comfortable for a standard business aviation rotation. Seventy-two hours is workable. Anything shorter becomes a permit and PPR race — send the request immediately and LFS will run permit, PPR, handling and fuel in parallel rather than in sequence.
Flying into NEOM?
Send the schedule and LFS returns permits, PPR, handling and fuel on one sheet.