Under the patronage of HRH Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz, Deputy ‎Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, Chairman of the ‎Board of Directors of Saudi Arabian Airlines, the airline celebrated on January ‎‎03, 2006 the launch of the first two aircraft of its new Embraer fleet.

Saudi ‎Arabian Airlines has purchased for the first time in its history fifteen new Embraer ‎‎170 aircrafts in a $400 million self-financed deal. "Saudi Arabian Airlines is the ‎first airline in the Middle East to purchase this type of aircraft," said H.E. Dr. ‎Khaled A. Ben-Bakr, Director General Saudi Arabian Airlines.

H.E. added that the ‎benefits of the Embraer deal to the airline include technology transfers through ‎the preparation and training of Saudi technicians on the maintenance of the new ‎aircraft and the training of pilots on the newly received simulator. Saudi Arabian ‎Airlines received the first two aircraft in December. Another two will be delivered ‎in January, followed by the delivery of one aircraft every month. HRH Prince ‎Sultan received an award from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) ‎regional Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa, Dr. Majdi Sabri on ‎the airline's level of operational safety.‎