¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ

RIYADH: SAUDIA, the national flag carrier of ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ, has allocated a fleet of 14 aircraft for pilgrims, which are expected to carry out 268 international flights to and from 15 stations around the world, in addition to 32 domestic flights from and to six stations.

In total, the airline will be responsible for providing 107,000 international and 12,800 domestic seats during the Hajj season, the company said in a statement.

The national flag carrier had concluded all preparations to start transporting pilgrims, Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of Saudia Group said. 

The pilgrims will be transferred to King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah or Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah, and from there they will leave for Makkah, it said.

Fastest growing airline brand in the Middle East with $500m value

SAUDIA has witnessed the fastest growth in its brand value in the Middle East, recording a 13 percent increase to $500 million in 2022, according to a new report from brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance.

The report pointed out that SAUDIA is investing heavily in both its product and service to enhance the customer experience as it welcomes first-time visitors to ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ.

The Kingdom plans to increase the number of tourists to 100 million and the number of religious visitors to 30 million a year by 2030, the report noted. 

In the Brand Finance’s Brandirectory annual rankings, American carrier Delta retained the top position as the world’s most valuable airline, with a value of $7.3 billion.

The brand value of WestJet increased by 22 percent to reach $600 million in 2022. The Canadian airline has strengthened its brand identity across its home market with the addition of 24 new routes. 

The brand value of Spanish airline, Iberia, also increased by 36 percent to reach $2 billion. 

Meanwhile, the brand value of Indian airline, IndiGo, increased by 22 percent to reach $0.7 billion. 

The Indian airline brands in the ranking have achieved significant growth with 22 percent year-on-year brand value growth, with further potential as the world looks to a post-COVID future, the report added.