The Saudi Royal Air Force carried out an air show in the skies of Jeddah Sunday.
The show featured Saudi Hawks Team and the UAE Air Knights team to celebrate the Kingdom’s 88th National Day, the Saudi News Agency (SPA) reported.
On this occasion, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman praised the nation’s growth under HRM King Salman, saying that while Vision 2030 “looks forward to the future,” Saudi Arabia “will remain committed to the principles” of Islam, “the religion of tolerance and moderation.”
The Crown Prince said the National Day is an opportunity to recall the achievements of the country’s founder, King Abdul Aziz, and his sons. “On our National Day, we take pride in our country’s position on an international, Islamic and Arab level.”
His sentiments were echoed by citizens, who gathered Sunday night in 20 cities to watch more than 900,000 fireworks light up the sky.
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai (world’s tallest tower) was illuminated with the Saudi flag, while the Nasdaq Tower’s digital billboard in New York’s Times Square was lit up with photos of King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the flags of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
In Lebanon, Pigeon Rocks, in Raouché off the coast of Beirut, were lit in the colors of the Saudi flag.
The UAE’s airlines got in on the game. Emirates operated a special one-off A380 service on Sunday to Riyadh, and crew handed out scarves emblazoned with the countries’ flags.
Etihad said it was using the only Saudi A380 pilot in the world, Wesam Sameer Al-Najjar, to fly its Year of Zayed plane to Jeddah with the UAE’s Captain Ahmed Almalood.
And if all that wasn’t enough, King Salman added an extra day, Monday, to the holiday.
