Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia), the national flag carrier of the Kingdom, flew more than 130 guests on the first commercial aircraft to depart from the New King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The first flight, an Airbus A320, flight number SV 1291, was to Gurayat, a northern domestic airport in Saudi Arabia. The flight departed Jeddah at 05:15 hrs local time yesterday (May 29) and arrived at 07:10 in Gurayat.

The new Jeddah International Airport opened to operate a select number of flights as part of a soft-opening phase.

Saudi Arabian Airlines vice president Corporate Communications, Abdulrahman Altayeb said: “The opening is a highly momentous occasion for the nation, the airline, and for the 137 valued guests that flew to Gurayat on SV1291 yesterday. The entire airline operations team has been preparing for and anticipating this important milestone, which marks a new era for Saudia’s operations out of Jeddah,”

Continued Eng. Altayeb: “The gradual transition of the Saudia fleet to the New Jeddah International Airport means that capacity will significantly increase, and the overall guest experience will be transformed with the state-of-the-art technological systems that are now in place and ready for our guests.”

The existing airport in Jeddah and the new terminal will continue to operate concurrently, with a majority of the Saudia network set to remain operating from the existing main airport.

A phased transition will take place, with flights gradually moved and starting operations from the new airport. Passengers will be notified and tickets will be clearly marked, indicating which terminal the flight will be operating out of.
 
As of May 1 this year, Saudia also opened the new Al Fursan domestic lounge at the new airport, available and ready for use for its loyalty club members and premium guests.

The airline is currently on an accelerated transformation track, revitalizing every aspect of its airline business, from operations, to fleet management, network growth and optimization; guest experience and expanding Hajj and Umrah capacity.

The SV2020 Transformation Plan is tracking steadily ahead of schedule, and the opening of the new Jeddah International Airport is a key enabler for Saudia to achieve its network, fleet and passenger growth targets for the coming years.

In 2017 the airline carried more than 32 million passengers, registered over 200,000 flights and travelled more than 320 million kilometres.

Saudia Catering served over 35 million meals; the airline grew its international transit traffic figures by double-digits over last year’s figures, and added 30 new aircraft to its fleet in a single year.

Saudia currently flies to 90 destinations across four continents with a fleet of 147 narrow and widebody aircraft and is the Global Launch Customer and Operator of the Airbus A330-300 Regional. –TradeArabia News Service