Saudia

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For the foraminferan genus, see Saudia (foram).

Saudia
Logo of Saudia.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
SV SVA SAUDIA
FoundedSeptember 1945; 74 years ago (1945-09)
Hubs
Frequent-flyer programAl Fursan Loyalty
Alliance
SubsidiariesFlyadeal
Fleet size158
Destinations95
Parent companyGovernment of Saudi Arabia
HeadquartersJeddah, Saudi Arabia
Key people
Websitewww.saudia.com

Saudia (Arabic: السعودية‎ as-Suʿūdiyyah), also known as Saudi Arabian Airlines (الخطوط الجوية العربية السعودية), is the national carrier[2] airline of Saudi Arabia, based in Jeddah.[3] The airline's main operational base is at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam are secondary hubs. The airline is the third largest in the Middle East in terms of revenue, behind Emirates and Qatar Airways.[4] It operates domestic and international scheduled flights to over 85 destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Domestic and international charter flights are operated, mostly during the Ramadan and the Hajj season. Saudia is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization and joined the SkyTeam airline alliance on 29 May 2012.

History[edit]

Early years[edit]

Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 707 in 1969
Saudi Arabian Airlines Lockheed L-1011 TriStar in 1987
A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747SP in 1989
A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 737-200 in 1995

When U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt presented a Douglas DC-3 as a gift to King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud in 1945, the event marked the kingdom's gradual development of civil aviation. The nation's flag carrier, Saudia, was founded as Saudi Arabian Airlines on September 1945[5] as a fully owned government agency under the control of the Ministry of Defense, with TWA (Trans World Airlines) running the airline under a management contract.

The now-demolished Kandara Airport, which was close to Jeddah, served as the flag carrier's main base. Among the airline's early operations was a special flight from Lydda (Lod) in Palestine (today in Israel, site of Ben-Gurion International Airport), a British Mandate at that time, to carry Hajj pilgrims to Jeddah. The airline used five DC-3 aircraft to launch scheduled operations on the Jeddah-Riyadh-Hofuf-Dhahran route in March 1947, followed by its first international service between Jeddah and Cairo in the same month. Service to Damascus and Beirut followed in early 1948. The following year the first of five Bristol 170s was received. These aircraft offered the airline the flexibility of carrying both passengers and cargo.[citation needed]

In 1962, the airline took delivery of two Boeing 720s, becoming the fourth Middle Eastern airline to fly jet aircraft, after Middle East Airlines and Cyprus Airways with the de Havilland Comet in 1960 and El Al with the Boeing 707 in 1961.[6] On 19 February 1963, the airline became a registered company, with King Faisal of Saudi Arabia signing the papers that declared Saudia a fully independent company. DC-6s and Boeing 707s were later bought, and the airline joined the AACO, the Arab Air Carriers Organization. Services were started to Sharjah, Tehran, Khartoum, Mumbai, Tripoli, Tunis, Rabat, Geneva, Frankfurt, and London.

In the 1970s, a new livery was introduced. The carrier's name was changed to Saudia on 1 April 1972. Boeing 737s and Fokker F-28s were bought, with the 737s replacing the Douglas DC-9. The airline operated their first Boeing 747s service in 1977 when three Jumbo Jets were leased from Middle East Airlines and deployed on the London sector. The first all-cargo flights between Saudi Arabia and Europe were started, and Lockheed L-1011s and Fairchild FH-27s were introduced. New services, including the Arabian Express 'no reservation shuttle flights' between Jeddah and Riyadh. The Special Flight Services (SFS) was set up as a special unit of Saudia, and operates special flights for the royal family and government agencies. Service was also started to Rome, Paris, Muscat, Kano, and Stockholm. The Pan Am/Saudia joint service between Dhahran and New York City started on 3 February 1979.[citation needed]

In the 1980s services such as Saudia Catering began. Flights were started to Jakarta, Athens, Bangkok, Dhaka, Mogadishu, Nairobi, New York City, Madrid, Singapore, Manila, Delhi, Islamabad, Seoul, Baghdad, Amsterdam, Colombo, Nice, Lahore, Brussels, Dakar, Kuala Lumpur and Taipei. Horizon Class, a business class service, was established to offer enhanced service. Cargo hubs were built at Brussels and Taipei. Airbus A300s, Boeing 747s, and Cessna Citations were also added to the fleet, the Citations for the SFS service. In 1989 services to Larnaca and Addis Ababa began. On 1 July 1982, the first nonstop service from Jeddah to New York City was initiated with Boeing 747SP aircraft. This was followed by a Riyadh-New York route.

In the 1990s, services to Orlando, Chennai, Asmara, Washington, D.C., Johannesburg, Alexandria, Milan, Málaga (seasonal), and Sanaa (resumption) were introduced. Boeing 777s, MD-90s and MD-11s were introduced. New female flight attendant uniforms designed by Adnan Akbar were introduced. A new corporate identity was launched on 16 July 1996, featuring a sand colored fuselage with contrasting dark blue tailfin, the center of which featured a stylized representation of the House of Saud crest. The Saudia name was dropped in the identity revamp, with Saudi Arabian Airlines name used.

Development since the 2000s[edit]

On 8 October 2000, Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Saudi Minister of Defense and Aviation, signed a contract to conduct studies for the privatization of Saudi Arabian Airlines. In preparation for this, the airline was restructured to allow non-core units—including Saudia catering, ground handling services and maintenance as well as the Prince Sultan Aviation Academy in Jeddah—to be transformed into commercial units and profit centers. In April 2005, the Saudi government indicated that the airline may also lose its monopoly on domestic services.[7]

In 2006, Saudia began the process of dividing itself into Strategic Business Units (SBU); the catering unit was the first to be privatized.[8] In August 2007, Saudi Arabia's Council of Ministers approved the conversion of strategic units into companies. It is planned that ground services, technical services, air cargo and the Prince Sultan Aviation Academy, medical division, as well as the catering unit, will become subsidiaries of a holding company.[9]

The airline reverted to its abbreviated English brand name Saudia (used from 1972 to 1996) from Saudi Arabian Airlines (historic name in use until 1971 and reintroduced in 1997) on 29 May 2012; the name was changed to celebrate the company's entry into the SkyTeam airline alliance on that day, and it was a part of a larger rebranding initiative.[10]

Saudia received 64 new jets by the end of 2012 (6 from Boeing and 58 from Airbus). Another 8 Boeing 787-9 aircraft started to join the fleet in 2015.[11]

In April 2016, Saudia announced the creation of a low-cost subsidiary, Flyadeal. The airline was launched as part of Saudia Group's SV2020 Transformation Strategy, which intends to transform the group's units into world-class organisations by 2020. Flyadeal serves domestic and regional destinations, began flights in mid-2017.[12]

Awards[edit]

World's Most Improved Airline' in 2017 by SkyTrax

Sponsorships[edit]

Saudia was main sponsor on the 2018 and 2019 Ad Diriyah ePrix

Destinations[edit]

Main article: List of Saudia destinations

Codeshare agreements[edit]

Saudia has codeshare agreements with SkyTeam partners and with the following airlines:[13]

Fleet[edit]

Current fleet[edit]

Saudia Boeing 777-300ER
Saudia Boeing 787-9
Saudia Cargo Boeing 747-8F

As of March 2020, the Saudia fleet consists of the following aircraft including its passenger and cargo fleet:[19][20]

Saudia Fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
F J Y Total
Airbus A320-200 46 — – 12 120 132
132 144
20 90 110
Airbus A321-200 15 — – 20 145 165
Airbus A320neo — 30[21] TBA Order with 35 options.[21]
Airbus A321neo — 5 TBA
Airbus A321LR — 15 TBA
Airbus A321XLR — 15[22] TBA
Airbus A330-300 32 — – 36 262 298
252 288
– 30 300 330
Boeing 777-300ER 35 — 12 36 242 290
24 245 305
– 30 351 381
383 413
413 443
– 12 393 405
Boeing 787-9 13 — – 24 274 298 [23]
Boeing 787-10 4 6 – 24 333 357[24] [25]
Saudia Cargo Fleet
Boeing 747-400BDSF 2 —
Cargo
 		Operated by Air ACT.[26]
Boeing 747-400ERF 1 —
Cargo
Boeing 747-400F 1 —
Cargo
Boeing 747-8F 2 —
Cargo
Boeing 777F 4 —
Cargo
Saudia Albayraq Fleet
Airbus A319-100 3 — – 48 – 48 Operates between Jeddah and Riyadh[27]
Total 158 71

Historic fleet[edit]

Saudia Convair 340 in 1959
Saudia Lockheed L-1011 in 1985
Saudia Airbus A300-600R in 2010

Saudia formerly operated the following aircraft:[28]

Fleet history
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Airbus A300-600 11 1984 2012
Airbus A310-300F 1 2010 2013
Airbus A319-100 2 2007 2017 Leased from Czech Airlines
Airbus A340-300 4 1999 2014
Boeing 707-320 Unknown 1968 1997
Boeing 727-100 1 1976 2000s Operated for Saudi Arabian Royal Flight
Boeing 737-200 26 1972 2007
Boeing 747-100B 19 1981 2010
Boeing 747-200 33 1979 2012
Boeing 747-200F 7 1981 2012
Boeing 747-300 19 1983 2013 Eighth aircraft stored.
1st aircraft used as VIP/Government transport.
Boeing 747-300SF 1 2014 2015
Boeing 747-400 14 1997 2016
Boeing 747SP 2 1981 1992
Boeing 757-200 10 2008 2011
Boeing 767-200ER 5 2003 2012
Boeing 767-300ER 6 2012 2012
Boeing 777-200ER 10 1990s 2019
Convair 340 Unknown 1960s 1970s
Embraer ERJ-170 15 2005 2016 All aircraft stored
Fokker F28 Unknown 1977 1990s
Lockheed L1011 Tristar 24 1977 1998
Lockheed L1011 Tristar 500 2 1970s Unknown Operated for Saudi Arabian Royal Flight
McDonnell Douglas DC-8 series 37 1977 1998
McDonnell Douglas DC-9 3 1967 1972
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 1 1975 1990s
McDonnell Douglas MD-11F 4 1998 2014 All aircraft stored
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 2 1998 2013 Operated for Saudi Arabian Royal Flight
McDonnell Douglas MD-90 29 1998 2013 Two aircraft stored

Other aircraft[edit]

Saudi Royal Flight Airbus A340-200 that is the lone exception to Royal Flight aircraft in Saudia livery at JFK Airport, 2017.
Saudi Royal Flight Boeing 747-400 parked at JFK Airport, 2018. The above A340-200 is parked behind it.

Saudia Special Flight Services, VIP flights, and Private Aviation operate the following, a number of which sport the airline's livery

Saudia Special Flight Service Fleet
Aircraft Total Order Notes
Beechcraft Bonanza 6 — Used for flight training
Dassault Falcon 900 2 — Used for government transport
Dassault Falcon 7X 4 — Used for charter transport
Gulfstream IV 6 — Used for government transport
Hawker 400XP 6 — Used for government transport

Additionally Saudia Royal Flight division operates larger aircraft of government and the royal family under Saudia flight code and colour scheme (except for a single aircraft), these include

Saudia Royal Flight Division Fleet
Aircraft Total Order Notes
Airbus A340-200X 1 —
1 Not in Saudia livery
Boeing 747-300 1 —
Boeing 747-400 1 —
Boeing 747SP 1 —
Boeing 757-200 1 — Used for flying hospital
Boeing 777-300ER 2 —

Some military C-130s are also painted with the Saudia colors and are flown by Royal Saudi Air Force crews to support Saudi official activities in the region and Europe. .

In-flight services[edit]

The inflight magazine of Saudia is called Ahlan Wasahlan (أهلاً وسهلاً "Hello and Welcome"). No alcoholic beverages[29] or pork are served on board in accordance with Islamic dietary laws. Its selected Airbus A330-300 and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft are equipped with Wi-Fi and mobile network portability on board. Most aircraft also offer onboard specialized prayer areas and a recorded prayer is played prior to takeoff.[30]

Incidents and accidents[edit]

  • On 25 September 1959, a Saudia Douglas DC-4/C-54A-5-DO (registration HZ-AAF), performed a belly landing shortly after take-off from the old Jeddah Airport. The cause of the accident was gust locks not deactivated by the mechanic, followed by a stall. All 67 passengers and 5 crew survived.[31]
  • On 9 February 1968, a Douglas C-47 (reg. HZ-AAE) was damaged beyond economic repair at an unknown location.[32]
  • On 10 November 1970, a Douglas DC-3 on a flight from Amman Civil Airport, Jordan to King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was hijacked and diverted to Damascus Airport, Syria.[33]
  • On 11 July 1972, a Douglas C-47B (reg. HZ-AAK) was damaged beyond economic repair in an accident at Tabuk Airport.[34]
  • On 19 August 1980, Saudia Flight 163, a Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStar (HZ-AHK), operating Karachi-Riyadh-Jeddah, was completely destroyed by fire at Riyadh airport with the loss of all 301 people on board due to delays in evacuating the aircraft.[35] This was the deadliest accident experienced by Saudia until 312 were killed in the loss of Flight 763 over 16 years later.
  • On 22 December 1980, Saudia Flight 162, a Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStar, operating Dhahran to Karachi, experienced an explosive decompression, penetrating the passenger cabin. The hole sucked out two passengers and depressurized the cabin.[36]
  • On 5 April 1984, a Saudia Lockheed L-1011 TriStar on final approach to Damascus from Jeddah was hijacked by a Syrian national. The hijacker demanded to be taken to Istanbul, Turkey but changed his mind and requested to go to Stockholm, Sweden. After landing in Istanbul to refuel, the hijacker was arrested after the pilot pushed him out of the emergency exit.[37]
  • On 12 November 1996, a Saudia Boeing 747-100B (HZ-AIH), operating flight 763, was involved in the 1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision. The aircraft was on its way from New Delhi, India, to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia when a Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin Il-76 (UN-76435) collided with it over the village of Charkhi Dadri, some miles west of New Delhi. Flight 763 was carrying 312 people, all of whom, along with 37 more on the Kazakh aircraft, died, for a grand total of 349 fatalities.[38][39] The loss of Flight 763 alone remains Saudia's worst accident in terms of fatalities. The accident overall also remains the world's deadliest mid-air collision.
  • On 14, October 2000, Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 115,[40] flying from Jeddah to London was hijacked en route by two men who claimed they were armed with explosives. The hijackers commandeered the Boeing 777-200ER (HZ-AKH) to Baghdad, Iraq, where all 90 passengers and 15 crew members were safely released. The two hijackers, identified as Lieutenant Faisal Naji Hamoud Al-Bilawi and First Lieutenant Ayesh Ali Hussein Al-Fareedi,[41] both Saudi citizens, were arrested and later extradited to Saudi Arabia in 2003.[42][43]
  • On 23 August 2001, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia, a Boeing 747-300 (reg. HZ-AIO) suffered nose damage as it entered a monsoon drainage ditch while it was being taxied by maintenance staff from the hangar to the gate before a return flight to Saudi Arabia. None of the six crew members on board at the time were injured, but the aircraft was written off[44][45]
  • On 8 September 2005, a Boeing 747 traveling from Colombo to Jeddah, carrying mostly Sri Lankan nationals to take up employment in the Kingdom, received a false alarm claiming that a bomb had been planted on board. The aircraft returned to Colombo. During the evacuation, there was a passenger stampede in the wake of which one Sri Lankan woman died, 62 were injured, and 17 were hospitalized. The aircraft had taken on a load of 420 passengers in Colombo.[46] According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka, the probable cause was a "Breakdown of timely and effective communication amongst Aerodrome Controller and Ground Handling (SriLankan Airlines) personnel had prevented a timely dispatch of the stepladders to the aircraft to deplane the passengers in a timely manner, which resulted in the Pilot-In-Command to order an emergency evacuation of the passengers through slides after being alarmed by the bomb threat."[47]
  • On 25 May 2008, an Air Atlanta Icelandic aircraft operating for Saudi Arabian Airlines as Flight 810 (TF-ARS) from Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport, Madinah made an unscheduled landing at Zia International Airport (now Shahjalal International Airport), Dhaka. During the roll the tower controller reported that he saw a fire on the right hand wing. Upon vacating the runway, the crew received a fire indication for engine number three. The fire extinguisher was activated and all engines were shut down. The aircraft, a Boeing 747-357, which was damaged beyond repair, was successfully evacuated.[48] Only minor injuries were incurred.[49] Investigations revealed a fuel leak where the fuel enters the front spar for engine number three.[48]
  • On 5 January 2014, a leased Boeing 767 operating under Saudia was forced to make an emergency landing at Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Airport in Medina after landing gear failed to deploy. 29 people were injured in the incident.[50][51]
  • On 5 August 2014, a Boeing 747-400 (reg. HZ-AIX) operating as flight 871 from Manila to Riyadh veered off the runway 24 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila while positioning for takeoff. No one on the plane or on ground were injured.[52]
  • On 21 May 2018, an Onur Air leased Airbus A330-200 (reg TC-OCH), operating as flight 3818 from Medina to Dhaka, was diverted to Jeddah after suffering a malfunction with the nose landing gear. It was forced to make a belly landing. No injuries were reported.[53]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Saudi Airlines entrusts Sami Sindi with the duties of the General Manager". News1. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  2. ^ Hofmann, Kurt (20 January 2017). "Saudia outlines 2017 fleet delivery plan". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 21 January 2017. Saudi Arabia's national carrier Saudia will take delivery of 30 aircraft this year, according to a Jan. 17 statement.
  3. ^ "Saudi Arabian Airlines Ground Services Company: Private Company Information". Businessweek. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  4. ^ Reed Business Information Limited. "Airline Business top 100 airlines rankings – Middle East". Retrieved 24 April 2015.
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  6. ^ "Commercial Aviation". centennialofflight.gov. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
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  13. ^ "Profile on Saudia". CAPA. Centre for Aviation. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  14. ^ "Saudia / CSA Czech Airlines begins codeshare partnership from late-Dec 2018". Routesonline. 1 January 2019.
  15. ^ "Etihad / Saudia plans codeshare partnership from late-Oct 2018". Routesonline. 9 October 2018.
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  19. ^ "OUR FLEET". 26 Saudia.
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  21. ^ a b https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/paris-saudia-takes-a321xlr-as-part-of-extra-airbus-459086
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  35. ^ Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
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  38. ^ Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
  39. ^ Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
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  53. ^ "Saudia Airbus A330-200 makes emergency landing at Jeddah airport". Arab News. Retrieved 22 May 2018.

External links[edit]

Media related to Saudi Arabian Airlines at Wikimedia Commons

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