Wings of a nation: How Saudi’s flag-carrier is expanding its fleet and redefining the customer experience
Saudia Airlines details ambitious strategy to double fleet and bring the world to Saudi Arabia.
At the official launch of its dedicated lounge at London Heathrow in Terminal 2 on…
July 10, 2025
Saudia Airlines details ambitious strategy to double fleet and bring the world to Saudi Arabia.
At the official launch of its dedicated lounge at London Heathrow in Terminal 2 on Wednesday 9 July, Saudia Airlines unveiled details of its growth strategy and brand transformation, which are both underpinned by the airline’s ambition to shift from transporting Saudis across the globe to bringing the world to Saudi Arabia.
With Saudia Airlines gearing up to celebrate its 80th anniversary at the end of 2025, the Saudia Group’s Chief Marketing Officer Khaled Tash told a select group of media from the UK and Saudi Arabia that Saudia’s role is evolving in line with the country’s Vision 2030 – from transporting passengers to becoming an enabler of inbound tourism.
“Eighty years ago Saudia’s mission as the national flag-carrier was to take Saudis to the rest of the world. Today that mission has shifted. It’s now about bringing the world to Saudi,” said Tash.
He pointed to the country’s tourism projects, including NEOM, Red Sea Global and AlUla as proof of how Saudia Arabia, which has long been defined by its oil wealth, is diversifying its economy and repositioning itself as a global tourism destination.
Redefining the customer experience
Saudia’s transformation programme, launched in 2021, under the slogan ‘Wings of Vision’, signals a strategic pivot with the airline focused on redefining its guest experience.
“We believe the Saudi hospitality is something special,” said Tash. “We wanted to embrace that in our passenger experience and ensure customers sense Saudi culture the moment they step on board.”
From the traditional Saudi coffee served in small cups designed by local artists, to locally inspired cuisine and a signature scent inspired by a lemongrass aroma, the Saudi-themed inflight experience has been designed to appeal to all senses.
Saudia’s onboard experience also shines the spotlight on Saudi-made documentaries, films and music.
Fleet and network expansion
The biggest driver of growth for the airline will undeniably be its fleet expansion. Tash revealed that the Saudia Group, which also includes low-cost carrier flyadeal, plans to more than double its fleet from the 168 aircraft it operates currently.
The airline will add 191 new aircraft over the next seven years, with recent aircraft acquisition agreements including the inking of a deal with Airbus for 20 A330neos.
“In 2026 and 2027 alone, we will be receiving over 100 new aircraft – effectively a new plane every week,” added Tash.
That growth will support plans to expand the airline’s network from around 100 destinations served today to over 145 by 2030.
On Wednesday 9 July, the airline confirmed the addition of a new direct route between King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and London Heathrow. The airline also currently flies to London Gatwick from Jeddah and Neom, as well as to Birmingham and Manchester from Jeddah.
Saudia’s fleet upgrade also includes a complete retrofit of its existing Boeing 777s and Airbus A330s by 2027. This includes refurbishing cabin interiors to feature business-class suites and high-speed Wi-Fi capable of supporting live TV streaming and gaming.
How retro rebranding has boosted Saudia’s global presence
Part of Saudia’s repositioning has involved a retro-inspired rebrand launched in 2023 and designed to celebrate the airline’s heritage while communicating its transformation.
The Saudi carrier has long leveraged sporting partnerships to drive brand visibility. It famously sponsored the Williams Formula One team in the late 1970s, giving it a much needed financial boost to achieve its first world championship in 1980.
Saudia continues its affiliation with the motorsport world today and is the official airline partner of Formula E and has sponsorship deals with Aston Martin F1. It also supports UK football team, Newcastle United, as well as other sporting disciplines, including boxing and tennis events.
To further increase its visibility, Tash explained how the airline uses special themed aircraft liveries to promote these partnerships, tourism projects and national initiatives, including designs illustrating NEOM, Red Sea Global and the Ministry of Culture’s Year of Arabic Calligraphy.
The airline was also a key partner in the world’s first ‘aviation’ inspired theme park with three of its retired Boeing 777 aircraft based at the park in Riyadh.
“Our aircraft are one of our most important marketing tools,” Tash explained. “They are part of our contribution to pushing the Saudi marketing and communication agenda globally.”
Investments beyond the airline
Looking beyond the customer experience onboard and airline branding, Saudia is expanding its premium ground experience, showcasing Saudi hospitality through its dedicated lounges in airports outside of the Kingdom.
In addition to its new lounge at Heathrow – its first dedicated facility in Europe – the airline opened a lounge in Cairo two years ago and plans to open additional lounges in Paris, Istanbul and Dubai before the end of this year.
Back on home ground in Jeddah it has also recently opened a premium check-in area for business and first-class passengers, with similar plans afoot for Heathrow, revealed Tash.
But Saudia is also extending its hospitality beyond airports. “We realised there was an opportunity to extend our lounge offering to pilgrimage sites in the Kingdom,” explained Tash.
During the recent Hajj season the airline trialled its first dedicated pilgrimage camp based on business class inspired seating, beds and lounges. The camp hosted around 1,400 pilgrimages from markets including the UK, US, Canada and Australia.
“Based on the success of this pilot, we plan to expand capacity to over 100,000 pilgrims by 2032,” said Tash.
Enhancing operations and empowering its people
Saudia’s transformation has delivered concrete operational results. In 2016 the airline ranked 82nd in the SkyTrax’s global ratings. Today it has climbed to 17th position and how won “Most Improved Airline” three times ( (2017, 2023 and 2024).
It also won the Best Airline Staff Award at this year’s SkyTrax ceremony and is consistently among the top five airlines for its on-time performance.
Cirium’s June 2025 On-Time Performance report, ranked Saudia first worldwide in both departure and arrival on-time performance. The airline, which operated over 16,700 flights during the month, achieved a 91.33% on-time arrival rate and a 90.69% on-time departure rate.
“Operational efficiency doesn’t just mean happier customers, it means better results for investors, airports and the environment due to reduced fuel burn,” noted Tash.
“Our success starts with our people and effective management,” said Tash, explaining that since 2021 all staff have been accountable for the shared KPIs of customer satisfaction and on-time performance. “It’s how we deliver on our branding goals, operations and growth.”
In support of its fleet and service ambitions, Saudia is also building the largest MRO facility in the Middle East and North Africa – a one million square metre facility in Jeddah due for completion in 2025. It will be capable of servicing 46 aircraft simultaneously and will be a maintenance hub for other airlines as well.
The airline is also investing in training the future workforce. Its training academy in Jeddah is the region’s largest according to Tash.
It trains around 600- 800 graduates annually from pilots and crew to mechanics and technicians as well as marketing and operations personnel. The group aims to increase the number of graduates to 1,400 per year by 2026.
Airline collaborations
Saudia is also continuing to build on its partnerships with other carriers. Recent interline and codeshare agreements with airlines including WestJet, Delta and Virgin Atlantic improve access to Saudia Arabia from markets not directly served by the airline. They also support transit flows through Saudi hubs.
“That streamlined experience is key to encouraging travellers to choose Saudi airports as their gateway between East and West,” said Tash.
To facilitate transit passengers and facilitate inbound traffic, Saudia teamed up with the government two years ago to develop a digital 96-hour transit visa for those travelling on the airline. The short-term visa allows stopover passengers to explore Saudi Arabia visa-free for up to four days.
“It’s about bringing more people to Saudi Arabia ,be that as a final destination or as a transit stop.”
Competition is waiting in the wings
With state-owned Riyadh Air expected to enter the market later this year, Tash was unphased about what this means for the competitive landscape.
“Whatever Riyadh Air is planning will be top notch. We’re following the airline’s development closely and there is no doubt they will offer a world class, premium experience,” he said.
He remains confident however that market demand is strong enough to support both carriers. “Even with Saudia doubling its fleet and pursuing all its ambitious growth plans there is sufficient demand for both airlines to operate successfully,” he said.
“In addition, don’t forget Riyadh Air is also a customer for Saudia – our subsidiaries will provide their ground handling services, catering, maintenance and training. So, we welcome their operations getting underway,” he concluded.
