Summary
- Saudia saw a 21% increase in passengers in 2023, because it focused on operational efficiency & international growth.
- The airline operated over 176,000 flights with an on-time performance of 86.44% – a top 10 global rating.
- Saudia unveiled a brand new branding last 12 months and promised a greater passenger experience.
The 12 months 2023 was primarily positive for a lot of airlines internationally. With international restrictions lifted, carriers saw an uptick in travel demand and improved their performance significantly in comparison with 2022.
Middle Eastern airline Saudia is one such carrier that was in a position to increase its operations by making strategic tweaks to its business model and improving operational efficiency.
30 million passengers
Looking back at 2023, Saudia has released operational figures for the 12 months passed by, announcing that its business witnessed growth following the tough pandemic years. As a part of its recent transformation process, the carrier flew over 30 million guests, a 21% increase in comparison with the previous 12 months.
Photo: Skycolors | Shutterstock
In all, Saudia operated greater than 176,000 flights last 12 months because it made strategic enhancements to its operational model, specializing in increasing seat capability and flight frequency and achieved this with an overall on-time performance of 86.44% – among the many top 10 globally. Captain Ibrahim Koshy, CEO of Saudia Group, commented,
77% growth in transit flights in comparison with 2019
International flights played an enormous role in Saudia’s operations in 2023. The carrier transported greater than 16.7 million passengers through its international flight network, a 36% increase.
It operated 79.4 thousand international flights, marking a 19% increase in comparison with the previous 12 months, and its transit flights witnessed a growth of 77% in 2023 in comparison with the 12 months 2019. Several international destinations, including Beijing, China; Birmingham, UK; and Johannesburg, South Africa, were added to Saudia’s network in 2023.
Domestically, the airline carried over 13.5 million passengers, registering a 7% growth in comparison with the previous 12 months. Greater than 50% of its overall services in 2023 were domestic, totaling almost 97,000 flights.
Latest branding
Within the second half of last 12 months, Saudia revealed its recent aircraft livery and logo with the aim of starting 2024 with a brand new brand identity. Its recent colours incorporate green, blue, and sand, symbolizing national pride, aspirations, and cultural heritage.
The complete rebranding exercise is an element of the Kingdom’s ‘Saudi Vision 2030’ plan, because it looks to ask more tourists to the country in an try to diversify its economy. The airline also highlighted that passengers could expect a redefined onboard experience and digital transformation in its overall transformation process.
Saudia also revealed that a brand new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered virtual assistant was being developed to assist passengers with post-sales queries using voice and text and to offer information in regards to the airport’s status, weather, visas, and transportation.
Saudia currently has an in depth global route network covering around 100 destinations across 4 continents, including all 28 domestic airports in Saudi Arabia. It also has a various fleet of greater than 140 aircraft from each Airbus and Boeing.
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