Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) Director General Khaled Al-Molhem has approved a new strategic plan for Jeddah's new airport, which is aimed at providing all the operational and marketing needs to achieve a quantum leap in its services.

Al-Molhem stated that Saudi Arabian Airlines remains the main operator of the new airport as a national carrier. "There is a huge responsibility on the part of Saudi Arabian Airlines to provide a service that meets the needs and status of the new King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah."

A special task force has been formed to work on the overall marketing, and commercial and public relations plan, said Abdul Qadir Attiah, who assists the director general on the airline's strategic projects.

"The plan is simple and sustainable," Qadir said, adding that the airline's human resources will be upgraded for providing excellent customer service. The Saudi Arabian Airlines and the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) will together meet all the operational requirements."

The new airport in Jeddah, whose work is under way, is considered one of the most important ones in the world. It is targeting to serve more than 30 million passengers annually in the first phase by 2014. The second phase of the project will serve 43 million passengers, and in the third and final stage it will be able to serve 80 million passengers.