JEDDAH, 20 May 2003 — Saudi Arabian Airlines honored government officials and airline executives who made this year’s Haj a “big success,” at an annual ceremony held in the Saudia Club in Khalidiyah on Sunday night.
Dr. Khaled Ben-Bakr, director-general of Saudi Arabian Airlines, said: “Saudi Arabian Airlines achieved great success in transporting pilgrims during the last Haj. About 867,000 pilgrims from different countries were transported; this is an 84 percent increase over the last five years. As a result, many governments and their Haj and Umrah organizations have expressed their desire to use the national airline’s excellent pilgrim services in the future.”
Dr. Ben-Bakr also urged his executives and all the airline staff to make summer vacation travel as successful as the Haj.
Attributing the airline’s achievement in pilgrims’ transportation to Dr. Ben-Bakr’s “visionary approach,” Abdul Hameed Al-Jahdaly, vice president, sales and passenger services, said the director-general’s plan for an independent operation for Haj and Umrah had contributed to the unprecedented success.
