Speaking to reporters on board the newly purchased A330 aircraft, which arrived at King Abdulaziz International Airport on Monday, Al-Molhem said Saudia would carry out its fleet modernization program in accordance with its requirements.

Al-Molhem, whose service has been extended to another four years by a royal decree issued by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, said Saudia would receive all of the 70 new Airbus and Boeing aircraft it has ordered by the end of 2014.

He also spoke about the airline's prestigious privatization program, which has made tremendous progress over the past years.

“We have been implementing this program in a scientific manner, making use of the experiences of leading airline companies in the world. It will not only help Saudia achieve its strategic goals but also strengthen the Kingdom's air transport industry.” Saudi Airlines has already privatized its catering and cargo sectors. “We'll complete privatization of the maintenance and ground service sectors this year,” the Saudia chief said. “We are also working on privatizing the core aviation unit,” he added.

Commenting on the withdrawal of private airlines from some domestic destinations, Al-Molhem said Saudia has started operating flights to some of these destinations. He, however, pointed out that the national carrier would not be able to operate flights to some domestic destinations due to a lack of aircraft.

The Saudia chief emphasized the need for hiking domestic flight fares in order to encourage private airlines to operate more flights and invest more in the aviation sector. "We have been suffering from heavy losses as a result of these domestic fares that are lower than neighboring countries."

Saudi Airlines successfully migrated to Amadeus, an advanced passenger management system, recently, Al-Molhem said.

“The system is now operating perfectly. Our customers can now feel a big difference in services. Passengers will be able to complete all travel procedures by themselves without approaching a travel agent,” he said.

The migration marks a major milestone for Saudi Arabian Airlines. During cutover 3.2million tickets, 1.3million Passenger Name Records (PNRs) and 1.3million frequent flyer profiles were moved to the new system. The Amadeus Reservation Desktop application was installed on over 3,000 PCs at over 500 office locations worldwide and over 3,800 employees were trained on the new applications and processes.

Al-Molhem said the newly acquired aircraft have been equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. "These aircraft will help Saudia increase its scheduled and additional flights during peak seasons," he said. The new plane that Saudia received on Monday is one of eight A330s ordered by the airline two years ago as part of a major aircraft purchase deal. The wide-bodied plane has 36 Horizon Class seats and 262 Guest Class seats.

According to Abdullah Al-Ajhar, vice president for public relations, Saudia has so far received 11 of the 70 planes it has ordered. "We have signed an agreement with OnAir to provide Internet and cell phone services to passengers abroad our A330 aircraft," he said, adding that aircraft crew can control the service.