SAUDI ARABIAN AIRLINES (Saudia), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s national flag carrier, participated in the 74th International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Sydney, Australia, at the Sydney International Convention Center.
During the course of the AGM, more than 1,000 delegates attended and discussed topics in global aviation, including safety and security; passenger experience; regulations, global standards and infrastructure.
Key resolutions ratified at the AGM included the following subjects: airport privatization and corporatization; committing to a number of actions related to anti-trafficking initiatives; and IATA called on governments to abide by international agreements and treaty obligations to enable airlines to repatriate revenues from ticket sales and other activities.
Membership on the IATA Board of Governors was also voted on for the coming year, with Saudi Arabian Airlines voted once again for another three-years (2019-2021). Director General of Saudi Arabian Airlines, Eng. Saleh Bin Nasser Al-Jasser, was present in Sydney for the AGM and has been selected to serve as a member of the Board of Governors for a second term.
The position will be the second consecutive term Al-Jasser serves as a member of the IATA Board of Governors. His first appointment to the Board of Governors took place at the 71st IATA AGM in Miami, USA in 2015.
Commenting on the IATA Board of Governors re-election, Al-Jasser said: “The business of air transport is an avenue for creating new opportunities to support and enable global trade development, as well as facilitate existing and new cultural, educational, and leisure industries in all parts of the world.”
“On behalf of Saudia, I am pleased to contribute to IATA alongside my fellow Board members and colleagues,” Al-Jasser added.
Saudia airline executives met with new partners and stakeholders during the event, and hosted a breakfast networking event for global media. The airline’s growing route network and double-digit passenger growth has seen the airline carry more than 32 million guests last year, with further growth projected with the start of operations at Jeddah’s new King Abdulaziz International Airport.
Currently, Saudia flies to 90 destinations across four continents with a fleet of 149 aircraft. In its 73rd year of operations, the airline is a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO).
At the 2017 Skytrax Awards held at the Paris Air Show, Saudia was awarded “World’s Most Improved Airline” of the year. The award recognizes an airline’s growth and improvement across a number of categories, in a single year.
The airline currently operates a fleet of 149 narrow and widebody Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and is the Global Launch Operator of the Airbus A330-300 Regional.
Saudia joined the SKYTEAM alliance in 2012 and is one of 20 member airlines. The airline has 11 codeshare partners including: Garuda Indonesia, China Southern Airlines, Air France, Royal Air Maroc, Alitalia, Korean Airlines, KLM, Middle East Airlines, Aeroflot, Air Europa and Oman Air.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is the trade association for the world’s airlines, representing 290 airlines, or 82% of total air traffic. IATA supports many areas of aviation activities and helps formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues. — SG
