The Saudi low-cost airline, launched early last year, will launch routes from Dammam to Beirut and from Riyadh to the southern Egyptian city of Asiut.

The additions increase the size of the company’s international network to 10 foreign cities and 23 routes, from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.

Sama has recently been focusing on its international network as a means of raising profitability at the carrier. Unlike domestic routes, flights to foreign cities are not subject to a government-imposed fare cap to facilitate cheap travel within the kingdom.

With high fuel prices eroding its profit margins, Sama is seeking to recoup domestic losses by boosting operations abroad.