12 June 2013

Summer plan for international flights

Saudia has started implementing its 2013 summer plan for international flights on June 5. The plan aims at strengthening its position in the global aviation industry and capturing a fair share of the market. It has increased the number of flights operating to destinations that send the largest numbers of passengers. Last summer (2012) Saudia carried 5.8 million passengers, 13 percent higher than the figure of 2011 summer season.

This was disclosed by Mr. Faisal bin Ghazi Kayyal, VP for Planning and Revenue Management. He said the restructuring of international flights had helped Saudia attract a large number of passengers during the past years as it started operating direct flights to major destinations while separating its flights from Jeddah and Riyadh. “We have also intensified our flights to major international destinations. This has contributed to increasing our market share,” said Mr. Kayyal.

 

This year’s summer plan includes operation of 1,022 flights weekly, offering 252,000 seats, 10,000 seats or 4 percent more than the seats that were made available in the summer of 2012. “We’ll operate 190 flights weekly to Egypt, offering 46,000 seats and 176 flights to the United Arab Emirates with 34,000 seats,” the VP said. As per the plan, the Africa region will get 262 flights weekly with a total of 70,000 seats, with Egypt occupying the large number of flights.

 

The plan earmarks 332 weekly flights to the Middle East and Gulf region, offering a total of 57,000 seats with Dubai receiving the lion’s share of 148 weekly flights.

 

“We’ll operate the recently obtained Boeing 777-300ER aircraft to London this summer,” Mr. Kayyal said while highlighting the aircraft’s state-of-the-art facilities. Saudia will operate 144 weekly flights to Europe offering more than 27,000 seats with London and Istanbul receiving 28 flights each with nearly 8,000 seats.

 

“We have also increased our flights to the America region as many Saudi families intend to spend their vacation with their children who study in US universities on King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program,” Mr. Kayyal said, adding that Saudia would operate 28 flights weekly to Washington and New York, offering 8,000 seats. He disclosed plans to operate Saudia flights to Toronto in October 2013 and to Los Angeles in the summer of 2014.

 

Speaking about summer plan for the Asia region, Mr. Kayyal said: “We have allocated 258 weekly flights with 91,000 seats to the region including 92 flights to India and 62 to Pakistan.” The Malaysian city of Kuala Lumpur, which attracts a large number of Saudi tourists, will get the highest number of 24 flights weekly with 10,000 seats, followed by Manila 22 flights with 8,000 seats and Jakarta 16 flights with 7,000 seats.