Jeddah: Saudi Arabia’s national carrier, Saudia, on Thursday, unveiled a new range of seat models for its Business and Economy classes to be installed in its upcoming fleet and existing aircraft.
The new seats will be featured in the Boeing B787 Dreamliner aircraft arriving in 2025, totalling 39 planes. They were revealed at a three-day event at the Saudia Club in Jeddah.
Alongside this, the airline is also undertaking developmental projects for its current fleet of Airbus A330 and Boeing B777, which involve implementing guest feedback to retrofit the existing blue seats.
The display included a new suite for the Business class, featuring a fully flat 180-degree seat with automatic sliding doors.
Some suites were also equipped with a 32-inch screen with 4K resolution. The Economy class displays equipped the seats with several new comfort features, including storage areas and 13.3-inch seatback entertainment screens.
The airline will also upgrade the in-flight entertainment systems with a new system called Beyond, stated the airline.
“This initiative is a part of Saudia’s broader aim to radically transform the travel experience in alignment with its expansion plans to increase the number of destinations, thereby connecting the Kingdom with the world,” the airline said in a statement. Director General of Saudia Group Engr. Ibrahim Al Omar was present at the event. Saudia had previously unveiled a state-of-the-art Business class seat, set to be installed on their new Airbus 321XLR long-haul aircraft during the 2023 Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.
The airline launched three new international destinations within its flight network: Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, Gatwick International Airport in London, UK, and Nice in France in June this year. Earlier this week, the airline also announced that it has welcomed its first Airbus A321neo aircraft, beginning with a fleet expansion plan incorporating 20 aircraft of the same model by 2026.
The airline's fleet, comprising aircraft from Boeing and Airbus, now stands at 140 aircraft. Saudia placed an order with Boeing for 39 fuel-efficient 787s in March this year with options for ten more airplanes.
The airline also achieved an impressive operational performance in H1 2023, transporting 13.7 million guests on domestic and international routes, a 24 per cent increase from last year. Saudia operated 85,400 flights, with a growth rate of six per cent, and flight hours surged by 22 per cent to 261,600 hours. Saudia had previously unveiled a state-of-the-art Business class seat, set to be installed on their new Airbus 321XLR long-haul aircraft during the 2023 Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.
