Opening New Opportunities for Operational and Commercial Collaboration
Gurugram : Air India, India’s leading global airline, and Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) to expand strategic cooperation between the two airlines.
Building on their existing codeshare agreement, the MoU aims to strengthen
connectivity between Saudi Arabia and India while supporting the continued growth of travel
between the two countries.
The agreement was signed by H.E. Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director
General of Saudia Group, and Mr. Campbell
Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Air India.
The MoU sets
out a phased approach to developing the partnership. Areas of cooperation
include expanding the existing codeshare agreement, improving connectivity
across both airlines’ networks, exploring terminal co-location and exploring
further operational and commercial opportunities, including cooperation between
their loyalty programs.
The two parties will also assess
opportunities to extend
the partnership in the future
to other airlines
within their respective groups, including flyadeal and Air India
Express.
H.E. Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar
said: “India is an important
market for Saudia,
and Air India is a valued partner in strengthening travel links
between our two countries. This partnership will offer guests greater choice,
flexibility, and more seamless journeys across both networks as demand
continues to grow.”
“It will also
create new opportunities for operational and commercial collaboration,
supporting the growth priorities of both airlines and providing scope to
broaden the relationship across our respective airline groups in the future,”
He added.
Mr.
Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Air India, said: “The relationship between India and Saudi Arabia continues to strengthen across
multiple dimensions, creating
significant opportunities for aviation to play an even greater
role in connecting people, businesses, and the economies of
the two nations. As carriers serving
rapidly growing markets, Air India
and Saudia are well positioned to
deepen this relationship through closer
collaboration. Together with Saudia, we look forward to exploring a range of new opportunities that
will deliver greater value to our respective customers while supporting our
long-term growth objectives, together.”
The
Memorandum of Understanding establishes a framework for the continued
development of the relationship between Saudia and Air India, creating
opportunities to expand cooperation across multiple areas as both airlines
continue to strengthen their international networks and respond to growing
demand for travel between Saudi Arabia and India.
Since its
privatisation in 2022, Air India has
significantly expanded its global alliance network. Today, the airline
maintains 25 codeshare partnerships
and more than 120 interline agreements
with leading carriers worldwide,
providing seamless access for Air
India customers to over 1,000 destinations globally.