Saudi Arabian Airlines and Air France-KLM Forge New Strategic Aviation Agreement
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Saudia and the Air France-KLM Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at strengthening cooperation in maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO), as well as in commercial agreements.
The signing ceremony took place in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron and included various authorities, such as the Chairman of the Board of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation, Eng. Saleh Al-Jasser, and the CEO of the Saudia Group, Eng. Ibrahim Al-Omar. On behalf of the companies, the agreement was signed by Captain Fahd Cynndy, CEO of Saudia Technic, and Anne Brachet, Executive Vice President of Air France-KLM Engineering & Maintenance.
Location of MRO capabilities in the Kingdom
According to Saudia, the agreement aims to strengthen its local maintenance capabilities, including GE90 engine module assembly and disassembly tasks, used on Boeing 777 aircraft. The Saudi airline details that it will assign at least 50% of these work orders to Air France-KLM in exchange for localization processes in Saudi Arabia. In addition, both parties will explore the creation of a joint venture for GEnx engines, installed on Boeing 787s.
Saudia also highlights its current capability to maintain CFM LEAP-1A engines, used on the Airbus A320neo family, as a demonstration of its development in the MRO sector.
Expansion of commercial agreements and connectivity
In the commercial field, the MOU includes the expansion of the codeshare agreement between Saudia and Air France-KLM, members of the SkyTeam alliance. This effort will increase available domestic and international routes, as well as improve connectivity and flight frequency. Additionally, it aims to optimize Saudia’s operations at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, with the goal of enhancing operational efficiency and passenger experience.
Strategic vision aligned with Saudi Vision 2030
Eng. Ibrahim Al-Omar, CEO of Saudia Group, stated that “this agreement reflects the visionary leadership of the Saudia Group board, led by its chairman, H.E. Engr. Saleh Al-Jasser, Minister of Transport and Logistics. It is aligned with the Saudi Aviation Strategy and demonstrates our commitment to advancing the Kingdom’s aviation sector.”
For his part, Benjamin Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM, emphasized that “Saudia is a historic partner of Air France-KLM. In the context of Saudi Arabia’s accelerated development, we see a mutual interest in expanding our commercial cooperation and sharing expertise, especially in strategic activities like MRO.”
Flights between France, the Netherlands, and Saudi Arabia
Currently, air connectivity between France, the Netherlands, and Saudi Arabia is covered by KLM, Saudia, Transavia France, and Flynas.
Saudia
- Jeddah – Paris-CDG: one daily flight with Boeing 787-8 / 787-9
- Madinah – Paris-CDG: one weekly flight with Boeing 787-9.
- Riyadh – Paris-CDG: one daily flight with Boeing 777-300.
- Jeddah – Amsterdam: four weekly flights with Boeing 787-8 / 787-9.
Transavia France (part of the Air France-KLM group)
- Lyon – Jeddah: one weekly flight with Boeing 737-800.
- Paris-Orly – Jeddah: two weekly flights with Boeing 737-800.
Flynas
- Jeddah – Marseille: three weekly flights with Airbus A320neo.
KLM
- Amsterdam – Riyadh: six weekly flights with Airbus A330-200 / A330-300.
This represents a total offer of around 18,000 seats per week.
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