Int’l passengers surpass local ones for first time in history of Saudia Airlines

Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) achieved new high records in its growing international network in 2018, with an increase of more than 11 percent in the number of international passengers carried by its flights compared to the previous year.

The airline had expanded its reach by introducing new international destinations and increasing passenger seats and capacity.

The Director General of Saudi Arabian Airlines Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser expressed his satisfaction with this growth, adding that it is in line with a transformation program being implemented in the company.

Al-Jasser explained that the main pillars of the transformation program are primarily investment in the human element, modernization and development of the fleet, services and products, as well as raising operational efficiency and optimal investment in its fleet.

He added that the operating performance report of Saudia in the last year, showed that the airlines carried more than 17 million passengers on its international network out of the 34 million passengers carried in 2018, while Saudia operated 214,000 domestic and international flights with a continued growth rate doubling that of the global growth of air traffic ranging between five to six percent.

The director general of Saudi Arabian Airlines added that an increase of 200 planes will be added to the current fleet by the end of 2020.