The national flag carriers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Saudia and Riyadh Air signed a Strategic Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding as part of an expansive agreement to include codeshare flight, signifying a major milestone moment of collaborative strength in the KSA aviation ecosystem. The MOU is the first major agreement between the two airlines and it is set to lay the foundation for further cooperation in the future.
Along with strengthening the wider Saudi aviation ecosystem the collaboration is intended to offer a comprehensive range of benefits for guests traveling globally to and from Saudi Arabia, as well as those traveling domestically within the Kingdom. As part of the agreement, guests of both carriers will be able to take full advantage of each airline’s worldwide network through a comprehensive interline and codeshare agreement that will allow guests to seamlessly connect between sectors operated by either Saudia or Riyadh Air. This means members of each carrier’s loyalty program will be able to earn points or credits when traveling on codeshare services operated by the other. This will be followed by a wider loyalty agreement in which guests can accrue or redeem points and receive elite-level benefits across both carrier’s global networks.
In addition to offering a comprehensive range of guest benefits, this strategic cooperation also commits Saudia and Riyadh Air, as national carriers of the Kingdom, to working together and implementing broader synergies and efficiencies across the value chain in areas such as commercial, digital development, aviation support services and cargo/logistics. The strategic agreement also aims to optimize routes and resources to ultimately provide guests with a broader range of destinations and services.
Saudia CEO, Capt. Ibrahim Koshy commented, “We’re delighted to be working alongside Riyadh Air and look forward to seeing another Saudi carrier supporting the national aviation strategy and Kingdom’s objectives in tourism. This is a historic moment in where we join forces to serve guests traveling from and to the Kingdom. Saudia and Riyadh Air will positively disrupt the industry as a whole and so we are proud to sign this MOU that signifies our partnership intent.”
Riyadh Air CEO, Tony Douglas, said, “The MoU signing of this strategic collaboration shows a solid statement of intent from both airlines. Riyadh Air and Saudia will play a significant part in the growth of travel tourism within the Kingdom and so having the national carriers working side-by-side is the best way to accelerate and manage this growth. We are confident that Riyadh Air will raise the bar in air travel and working in cooperation with Saudia will help us achieve this as we prepare for takeoff in 2025.”
Benefits are planned to be announced with wider details that would be available for guests booking flights on Saudia or Riyadh Air, when Riyadh Air is set to launch its operations in 2025.
