A vision with wings

Captain Ibrahim S. Koshy, CEO, SAUDIA Air Transport Company discusses SAUDIA’s transformation into a world-class airline, supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 ambitions

The pandemic has posed significant challenges for the aviation sector, with many carriers struggling to survive, but SAUDIA, the national carrier of Saudi Arabia, has bucked the trend, continuing on its growth trajectory and embracing innovation throughout this period of unprecedented turbulence.

Its achievements have not gone unnoticed, with the carrier crowned ‘World’s Most Improved Airline’ by Skytrax in 2021, marking the second time in four years it had received the accolade.

“The Skytrax award is a huge vote of confidence from our passengers, the travelling public and our Al Fursan members, and we are proud of that,” says Captain Ibrahim S. Koshy, CEO, SAUDIA Air Transport Company. “I am very proud of the team too, from the people working at the airport on the maintenance side, to the cabin and flights crews on board.

“I see them on a daily basis making sure we get everything right for every guest. They all feel motivated and proud following the recognition we have received.”

The Skytrax accolade followed SAUDIA being ranked a Five-Star Global Airline by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX).

APEX Official Airline Ratings is the first airline rating programme based solely on certified passenger feedback, which yet again demonstrated traveller confidence in the SAUDIA experience. Ending 2021 on a high note, the airline was then ranked first in YouGov’s Best Brand Rankings for Saudi Arabia.

“Despite travel restrictions and grounding of flights for extended periods owing to the ongoing pandemic, SAUDIA has made notable improvements to its brand perception and climbed up two places to come first (51.9) in the 2021 Best Brand rankings,” notes YouGov.

The rankings are based on the Index score from YouGov BrandIndex, which is a measure of overall brand health that indicates how well a brand is delivering against its brand promise on key attributes and is calculated by taking the average of the Impression, Quality, Value, Satisfaction, Recommend and Reputation scores collected in BrandIndex

SAUDIA outranked global sports and lifestyle brand Adidas, which made a new entry in the kingdom’s 2021 top 10 brands, ranking in second place (50.3).

These accolades reflect SAUDIA’s ongoing journey in pursuit of excellence across all aspects of the business, focusing in particular on the guest experience.

As part of the airline’s SV2020 Strategy & Transformation Plan, SAUDIA has invested in new aircraft, product innovation and service enhancements with a view to offering customers the highest level of hospitality and comfort in the skies.

“We are now working towards accelerating our growth and the customer experience and targeting even better results,” says Captain Koshy.

“We believe we are the wings of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s socio-economic transformation strategy, which includes growing tourism significantly. It is our job to support the tourism industry, getting people to visit Saudi Arabia to see all that it has to offer.”

Naturally Generous Hospitality

A cornerstone of SAUDIA’s philosophy is the idea of “naturally generous” hospitality.

In a world of anonymous ‘McBrands’, the airline prides itself on offering “authentic and genuine hospitality”. This is complemented by the introduction of new service elements on the ground and in the air,

IN NUMBERS

Q1 2022

5.1mn Guests (+75% y-oy)

40,000+ Flights (+44% y-o-y)

144 Aircraft 101.6k Hours (+77% y-o-y) with notable onboard improvements that have received industry recognition including a new children’s pack; dedicated women’s amenities in First Class and Business Class; and improved in-flight catering, entertainment and connectivity.

Hygiene kits provided in partnership with Lifebuoy and a warm towel service for Economy Class passengers have also been well received by passengers.

One standout improvement is the introduction of SAUDIA ambassadors who greet First and Business Class passengers and escort them to the airline’s lounges at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The ambassadors are also on hand to provide information such as flight times and upgrade availability.

SAUDIA is also one of just six airlines globally to offer and in-flight chef service for its premium cabins.

A team of 150 chefs have been hand-picked from upscale hotels and restaurants, some of whom have worked with Michelin-starred chefs.

In addition to their culinary skills, they have all undergone rigorous flight attendant training to comply with the standards of the airline.

Continuous Improvement

While there’s no doubt the carrier is excelling at present, Captain Koshy says SAUDIA will not rest on its laurels. Operating a route network of more than 100 destinations and a fleet of 145 aircraft – one of the youngest fleets globally – the plan is to continue with this “upward trajectory” first initiated in 2017.

While COVID-19 may have temporarily changed the airline’s priorities, Captain Koshy acknowledges that in striving to become an industry leader in its approach to customer confidence, comfort and safety, during the pandemic, SAUDIA’s transformation was accelerated.

Introducing safety measures such as enhanced aircraft sanitisation and onboard measures in partnership with Dettol and Lifebuoy set the airline apart, and in addition to the aforementioned industry accolades, SAUDIA received a vote of confidence from major financial institutions.

Emirates now operates more than 240 aircraft

At a time when COVID-19 had decimated the travel, tourism, and aviation sectors, the airline, in March 2021, signed the largest financing deal in the history of Saudi aviation.

Worth some US$3 billion and involving six banks, the finance deal is being used to power a huge fleet expansion of 78 new aircraft from Boeing and Airbus.

This includes the A321neo and A321XLR aircraft, both of which will offer some of the most cutting-edge in-flight services and internet speeds in the world.

These newer aircraft are more comfortable, offer a greater range of passenger services, including IFE, and are also more fuel efficient, in line with SAUDIA’s robust sustainability programme.

A Showstopper In Dubai

In November 2021, SAUDIA further demonstrated its global leadership at the Dubai Airshow, the first international aviation even the airline had attended ‘live’ since the onset of the pandemic.

It was also the first time that SAUDIA had been represented as a group, with all 12 subsidiaries, including the low-cost carrier flyadeal, showcased at the SAUDIA pavilion.

Several key announcements were made with a view to accelerating SAUDIA’s goal of becoming both a world-leading airline and a formidable aviation group.

They included the integration of several B787 Dreamliner and B777 fleets featuring predictive maintenance analytics and diagnostic tools to help improve the quality and speed of maintenance decisions, resulting in improved on-time performance.

In addition, agreements signed with Inmarsat and Panasonic Avionics opened a window to the future of air travel, by significantly improving in-flight entertainment and internet connectivity as we know it.

AN IN-FLIGHT TECH LEADER

At the Airshow, SAUDIA signalled it would become the first airline globally to integrate both Inmarsat’s revolutionary new OneFi customer experience platform (CXP) as well as the next-generation terminal for GX Aviation, developed with GDC Technics.

Inmarsat’s OneFi is an airline-branded digital platform designed to enhance the on-board experience.

It enables passengers to order food and beverages, purchase seat upgrades, receive the latest flight and destination information, and sign-up to the airline’s frequent flyer programmes, all in real-time from the comfort of their seat.

Passengers can also browse the internet, stream videos and audio, shop online and enjoy other e-commerce offerings using high-speed in-flight broadband.

Meanwhile, the next-generation terminal developed by Inmarsat and GDC Technics will deliver high-speed wireless broadband, even over congested air hubs.

What is destined to be an industry-leading in-flight digital experience will initially be introduced on 20 A321neo and 15 A321XLR aircraft.

From below: The carrier crowned ‘World’s Most Improved Airline’ by Skytrax in 2021,

The airline has made significant customer experience enhancements

In terms of business travel, it could transform what is possible during a flight, with Zoom meetings at 30,000 feet a reality. These aircraft (the A321neo and A321XLR) will also receive the latest 4k and Bluetooth IFE innovations from Panasonic Avionics.

In addition to a full cabin advanced HD experience, SAUDIA passengers travelling on the new aircraft will be able to take advantage of Bluetooth audio streaming, allowing them to unlock a library of premium entertainment options safely, using their own Bluetoothenabled headphones.

Meanwhile, Business Class passengers will be able to experience the full 4K experience on a 16-inch screen and use wireless charging to seamlessly connect with friends, family and colleagues as soon as they reach their destination.

“Our focus on IFE and connectivity will further enhance passenger satisfaction and confidence,” says Captain Koshy.

“We will be offering passengers the same levels of connectivity in the air that they experience at home or, following the roll-out of 5G, when they are out and about. We are also meeting increased demand for contactless passenger touchpoints.”

Connecting The World To The Kingdom

With the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia emerging as one of the most exciting tourism destinations globally, virtually unspoiled and unexplored by the world's travelling population, SAUDIA is playing a pivotal role in delivering visitors to the kingdom to discover all that it has to offer.

To organically expand visitation to Saudi Arabia in support of tourism ambitions, with 100 million visitors targeted by 2030, SAUDIA continues to grow its destination network.

At time of press, the carrier operated to 200 stations, more than double the 2019 network of 91, and in the first quarter of 2022, carried 5.1 million guests, up 75% compared to the same quarter in 2021.

SAUDIA operated more than 40,000 flights in Q1, an increase of 44% compared to Q1 2021, while the airline’s fleet of 144 aircraft flew more than 101,600 hours, up 77% over the same period last year.

“The strong traffic results represent the culmination of the efforts of the airline’s staff, who have been the driving force behind the airline’s comeback to preCOVID levels of activity,” says Captain Koshy.

“As demand returned, our strong airline business fundamentals have translated into a significant improvement in our performance.

“This achievement has been made possible by the commitment of our hardworking employees combined with our business agility.”

His Excellency Eng. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of the Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation, adds: “As the momentum for travel continues to build, we will increase frequencies and introduce new destinations on our network during 2022. This strategy is especially important in light of the kingdom’s megaprojects and transformation agenda for the tourism industry, as we continue to serve as the ‘Wings of Vision 2030’ and welcome the world to Saudi Arabia.”

The first three months of 2022 saw the kingdom play host to several entertainment and cultural events, which contributed to a strong uptick in passenger numbers, according to the airline.

SAUDIA also recently announced several new destination additions to its global network in anticipation of a busy summer 2022.

Destinations introduced include Bangkok, Barcelona,

Malaga, Marrakech, Moscow, Seoul, Entebbe, Amsterdam, Chicago, and Mykonos.

Additionally, the Saudi national carrier plans to add extra flight frequencies and seats where necessary to cater to soaring demand.

Championing Ksa Destinations

The airline is also helping to highlight the country’s plethora of cultural and historical treasures with initiatives such as ‘Museum in the Sky’, a collaboration with AlUla.

This saw a SAUDIA flight from Riyadh to AlUla on November 4, 2021 transformed into a flying museum.

Throwing the spotlight on the significance of AlUla as a living museum, with just a fraction of archaeological sites identified currently being excavated, replicas of artefacts discovered by archaeologists at the destination were displayed on board.

SAUDIA has also launched a direct flight from Paris to AlUla, connecting the destination to a key source market, while its new IFE channel, Discover Saudi Arabia, features the Discovery Channel movie documentary, Architects of Ancient Arabia, telling the story of AlUla’s role in developing early human civilisation. Other initiatives include SAUDIA’s new lounge at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, the largest Skyteam lounge in the world, soon to showcase a selection of historical and cultural displays. It will also feature special Saudi culinary areas, some of which will be dedicated to local traditions around coffee and dates.

“With SAUDIA’s naturally generous philosophy starting from the moment passengers arrive at the airport and reflecting our responsibility to showcase the best of what Saudi Arabia has to offer the world, the lounge is designed to offer a rich sensory experience, with touchpoints involving sight, through interior design and the artwork; taste, through the best of Saudi cuisine; and traditional Saudi music,” says Captain Koshy

The Wings Of Vision 2030 Are Green

While Saudi Arabia and its carrier forge ahead with ambitious plans for tourism growth, the kingdom is just as aggressive in implementing a strategy for safeguarding a ‘green’ and sustainable future.

This was stressed by HRH Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman at the COP26 Summit in Glasgow last year where he announced kingdom’s net zero goal as part of the new ‘Saudi Green Initiative’.

SAUDIA is aligned to this vision and committed to decarbonisation, as well as transporting guests to a destination that is not only a sustainable tourism leader, but a trailblazer for regenerative tourism, with developments such as NEOM and the Red Sea Project setting new global benchmarks in this respect.

The airline recently announced plans to appoint a Vice President, Environment and Sustainability, with a view to unveiling 50 environmental and carbon reduction initiatives in 2022.

SAUDIA is also phasing out older aircraft, which burn more fuel, replacing them with next-generation aircraft with a lower carbon footprint per passenger.

Eliminating single-use plastics across the business is another target, and as Saudi Arabia looks to position itself as a renewable energy champion, the airline is looking at ways to introduce Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) into its operations. Sustainable practices will be crucial as airline fulfils its role as “the wings of Vision 2030” and looks to build on its position of strength as one of the world’s leading airlines.

When it comes to tourism icons, Diriyah will be to Saudi what the Acropolis is to Greece and the Colosseum is to Rome, says Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO, Diriyah Gate Development Authority