Saudi Airlines (Saudia), the Kingdom's national carrier, aims to nearly double its fleet by 2032. This ambitious overhaul includes the introduction of new onboard products, a substantial expansion of its route network and a strong emphasis on agility and digitalisation across its operations.
“Saudia is on a full-fledged transformation process – you will see this in our onboard product, firstly in the Wi-Fi roll out and secondly in the new Business Class Suites, even on the narrow bodies,” the airline’s Chief Commercial Officer, Arved von zur Muehlen, tells TTN. “We will have 128 aircraft joining us until 2032. These include 49 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, 15 Airbus A321 XLRs and 69 Airbus A320neos. We are undergoing a full digital transformation. We are very much a digitally savvy airline, we are agile and nimble – you can see this in many of our customer facing products. We are investing heavily into Hajj operations. We have launched a new technology for our pilgrim guests. “We are doing things differently and we are moving ahead with full speed.” Sabre and Saudia recently strengthened their long-standing partnership by launching Saudia’s NDC content through the Sabre GDS for the first time. This milestone enables travel agents and corporate buyers worldwide to access personalised, dynamic offers and bundled services from Saudia directly within Sabre’s platform. Von zur Muehlen says the collaboration is a strategic step toward transforming the travel experience for guests by offering more personalised and relevant options across all channels. “In terms of technology, we are pleased that we are working with Sabre. We have the ambitious target on the NDC rollout to be roughly 20 per cent by the end of this year,” says Von zur Muehlen, adding that the airline views travel agents as strategic partners in this digital journey. “We are looking for agile partners who can help us because what other airlines have 10 years time to accomplish we have to do in two years,” he says. “We want to be very agile, very fast and naturally, we are looking for technology partners who match these demands.” Saudia is offering 10-plus new destinations this summer. “It's the first time that we have so many summer destinations for our guests, from Bali and Salalah to Antalya, covering Europe, Asia and the Middle East.” Last month, Saudia Group unveiled its comprehensive plan for the 2025 Hajj Season, announcing its official entry into the Hajj services sector. For the first time, the group will serve as a full Hajj service provider, extending far beyond air travel to include the initial planning stage to the smallest details at the holy sites. Saudia will offer more than one million seats over a 74-day period and utilise its fleet of 158 aircraft, capturing 35 per cent of the market share.