Cargo services and catering have added to Saudi Arabian Airlines’ profitability over the years.

Innovation and growth are main priorities
Saudi Arabian Airlines The first Middle Eastern airline to fly jets, SV is rapidly expanding its fleet

In 1945, US president Franklin D. Roosevelt presented King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud with a Douglas DC-3 aircraft. This gesture of friendship between the two nations marked the starting point for the development of Saudi Arabia’s national civil aviation industry, with the founding of Saudi Arabian Airlines as a government agency a year later and the initiation of passenger flights out of Jeddah.

Saudi Arabian Airlines has come a long way since then, becoming a fully independent company in 1962, and consistently expanding its fleet, extending its routes and services, and introducing new, profitable operations such as cargo services and catering over the last sixty years.

Under the directorship of Khalid A. Almolhem, innovation and growth continue to be the company’s priorities. The last twelve months have seen aggressive development for the airline. The introduction of electronic services such as e-ticketing – the first e-ticket was issued in February this year – and interactive SMS information are the external evidence of progressive technological development, while increased passenger numbers have led to an overhaul of the flight schedule and the launch of several new destinations, including Manchester.

More passengers and more flights require more airplanes. Discussions are ongoing with suppliers to expand the Saudi Arabian Airlines’ fleet, although finalising a deal takes some time, and once completed, the first order will not be received before 2010. For this reason, the airline dealt with the surge in demand over the summer by leasing 14 aircraft, which Saudi Arabian Airlines’ officials take as a healthy sign for the organisation and an example of their expansion.

KHALID ALMOLHEM Director General Saudi Arabian Airlines	YOUSEF ATTIAH VP of Customer Services of Saudi Arabian Airlines

The purchase of two Boeing 720s in 1962 made Saudi Arabian Airlines the first Middle Eastern airline to fly jets; today, negotiations are under way for the latest plane in the Boeing stable, the Dreamliner 787. This relies on better fuel efficiency and longer air travel between destinations, and is able to travel up to 15,000 km without refuelling, an important aspect for an airline that flies to New York over four continents.

In 2006, Saudi Arabian Airlines carried over 16 million passengers, a half million increase over the previous year, and recorded a rise in profits, and prospects continue to look good. With a booming economy and the airline industry in general expanding, 2007 is expected to be a prosperous year for the airline. King Abdullah is working to strengthen bilateral relationships with other nations which will increase business opportunities in both countries and in turn lead to increased travel traffic.

Already flying to more than 70 destinations world-wide, Saudi Arabian Airlines caters to both business and leisure travellers, operating additional services in the busy Umrah and Hajj seasons for religious pilgrims. And the Kingdom’s current opening-up to foreign tourism – Saudi Arabia has recently begun issuing group visas through tour operators to foreign visitors as part of its efforts to attract 1.5 million tourists a year by 2020 – may eventually provide an extra market for the airline.