He was laid to rest at Al-Ruwais cemetery at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. According to the family, Mattar died following a short illness. A large number of relatives, Saudia staff and friends attended the burial.

Mattar — who was not related to Capt. Khaled Mattar, the Saudia pilot who recently died following a heart attack while piloting a Saudi flight from Jeddah to Dammam — is survived by his wife and three daughters.

Mattar was the sixth director general of Saudia since it was established in 1945.

Assuming the lead role in the airline during its expansion phase and successful growth, he did not let power or position go to his head. He was always in touch with his former colleagues — the pilots. He earned fulsome praise when he was in harness and was fondly remembered on Friday by many for the values and vision he stood for in life.

Mattar was born in Al-Ahsa in the Eastern Province. He joined Saudia in 1959 as a pilot trainee. He graduated as assistant pilot on a Dakota aircraft in 1960 and finished on top of his class. In 1963, he obtained his commercial pilot license. He was then sent to the US to obtain the certificate of a flight captain, which is the highest degree granted by the US Aviation Authority.

In recognition of his contribution to Saudia and to the international airline business, Mattar was appointed to the executive committees of Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO) and International Air Transport Association (IATA). By the 40th anniversary year, Saudia had seen a great expansion in demand for its cargo services.

Veteran travel industry expert Abdulla M. Abo Khamseen, director and executive general manager, Kanoo Travel, paid wholesome tributes to Mattar.

“He took Saudi Arabian Airlines to great heights through his dynamic leadership and visionary zeal, and turned it into the most respectable, most trusted and the leading airline in the Arab world in the 1980s and early 1990s,” he said.

According to Abo Khamseen, one of the captain's greatest contributions was the opening of doors to young and talented Saudi graduates.

“He created favorable conditions for young men to join the company in a big way; he provided them with incentives and training avenues ... and in a sense the current crop of leaders in the airline are a product of Capt. Mattar's farsighted program.”

What distinguished him from other CEOs was his humility, good nature and sharp intellect, said Abo Khamseen.

“He was easily approachable and humble, he had no airs,” he said. “We will miss him. May God rest his soul in peace. My thoughts and prayers are with his immediate family members.”

In 1965, Mattar was sent to the US again to train on Boeing aircraft and obtain the relevant license. The following year he became the first Saudi to obtain a license in piloting DC-9 aircraft. He was appointed an instructor in 1970 to train pilots in Boeing. He also was licensed to pilot a Lockheed TriStar.

After a stint as deputy director general for operations, he was promoted to director general in 1980, a position he held until his retirement in 1994.

Capt. Mattar's family will accept condolences at his home on Jeddah's Prince Sultan Road behind City Plaza.