We see a larger number of corporate business travelers that want the same experience onboard our narrow-body aircraft that they have been having onboard the wider body aircraft. In May 2023, we launched a business class suite with privacy dividers on our 777s and 787s, which is the first of its kind at this scale. We will be integrating this on all our new narrow-body aircraft we receive. We will also start a retrofit program where the current business class aircraft will also be changed. We are doing this to meet the heightened number of business and corporate travelers. We need to be sure we give them the product they desire.

Saudia is really unlike any other airline – and it is improving. When traveling with Saudia, passengers will have a premium travel experience with better connectivity than they can get elsewhere. Although we have not built up our network to the extent that we want, once our new aircraft arrive, we will increase connectivity to other international destinations. We recently announced more than 11 new international destinations, with more coming up over the next two years.

When we look at the growing connectivity we are creating out of Jeddah, cargo is also growing quite fast. Over the past period we have seen growth in consignments from other companies and cargo transiting through the Jeddah hub – far more than in the past. We are gaining both belly and freighter capacities. This is an area that is likely to grow substantially. There is a lot of e-commerce happening. A logistical hub will be formed in both Jeddah and Riyadh. We are working closely to leverage our capabilities on this front alongside our partners Saudia Cargo.

Saudia has been a strong brand in the region for a while. However, it is currently moving to the next level. With its connectivity and increase in international travelers, we are seeing more opportunities for brand exposure. For example we are partnering with international events such as Dakar Rally, Formula E or the Formula One, the latter of which was hosted here in Jeddah. People are seeing Saudia's brand everywhere. We are gaining a lot of recognition and are now considered a major player. We will continue to market ourselves in this manner, such as getting ties with football teams. Today a lot of European, North American and Asian travelers are traveling with Saudia and discovering our product. We are also dealing more with online travel agencies and different channels. People are seeing Saudia as a brand, and we will see more of this going forward.

We have always considered our people as our most valuable resource. We have a very dedicated group of people and retaining this talent is important. There is currently a high demand from the aviation sector for the talent we have at the company. One of the most aggressive fights for talent is for pilots and certain specialists, which will continue as we move forward. Our human resources department has created an attractive scheme for employees at all levels, from entry to executives. They have created a work environment with flexible policies on timing and vacations. Things are now much more flexible; we are listening to employees and accommodating them. We have also created performance-driven incentives, which employees are very excited about. We will soon be rewarding our staff with time off and paid vacations, which are reasons people join airlines in the first place. The pandemic was a very difficult time for travel, aviation and the world in general. However, we came out knowing that our people come first. We showed a lot of care for our employees all over the world. Those who were stranded when lockdowns came into place were brought home. We helped many Saudi Arabian nationals and residents come back to the country.

There is a story happening surrounding sustainability in Saudi Arabia that many people do not realize. All new resorts that will open on the Red Sea are eco-friendly resorts. They care about the carbon footprints they are creating and are targeting travelers who are environmentally concerned. These eco resorts fit perfectly into our sustainable air mobility development strategy. These real estate projects will not be limited to nearby Jeddah but all along the coast in other regions of the country. We need to have either sustainable flights or electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft with zero emissions to transport these customers to their resort destinations. We have a strong network of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, which will be deployed. We are working with German air mobility leader Lilium in this regard. It is going to be very exciting.

As an airline we need to accelerate our sustainability initiatives to meet not just the demands of travelers but the demands of our employees. We have a young generation of employees that care about these issues. They are driving new initiatives and accelerating our progress. We currently have a team dedicated solely to researching sustainability initiatives. We collect ideas from employees who are integrated into our sustainable flights. We also have ideation sessions with employees to come up with new ideas. They are changing our catering services, how we handle waste and even our comfort items on the aircraft like blankets and pillows to create a more sustainable product. On the catering side, there are local farms where we can source vegetables, and we are working with these suppliers. Many of these farms are being launched by young entrepreneurs in the region. The same thing is happening in terms of how we handle our waste. Sustainability is becoming a critical part of our corporate culture.

The United States is an important political and economic destination for Saudi Arabia. A lot of government travelers utilize these routes, and there has been a large rise in the number of corporate travelers coming to and from the country. Additionally, there is significant interest from Saudi Arabian travelers in visiting the United States on vacation and there is a growing number of students traveling from Saudi Arabia to study there. On the other hand, we have even stronger demand from American travelers coming to visit Saudi Arabia or using Saudi Arabia as a hub to connect to other destinations in Africa or Asia. There is also a lot of cargo traded between Saudi Arabia and the United States that people are not aware of. These increasing numbers are leading to an increase in flight frequencies to the United States on our current routes to New York, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. We are exploring several new destinations in the United States over the next year. This increase in connections is having a positive impact on the creation of new economic markets for both parties.