He led Saudia into the jet age but with the understanding that only a man whose experience begins behind the controls in a cockpit can bring to the job. When he started with the airline in 1959, the kid from Al-Hasa was a pilot trainee on the venerable Douglas DC-3, a twin-engine, propeller-driven plane designed in the 1930s. By the mid-1960s he had become Saudi Arabia’s first pilot licensed to fly the Douglas DC-9 jetliner.
Mattar trained other pilots in the Saudia fleet to fly the jets before being appointed to lead the organization, which he did until he retired in 1994.
The fact that he liked to be remembered as a flight captain rather than a director general says a lot about the kind of man he was.
I remember my first entry into a cockpit was with him on a flight to Karachi in the mid-1970s. His familiar grin, the crew cut and his professionalism were characteristics that will always be remembered. It was a great time for Saudia then — new aircraft, new management techniques and new ideas, but above all a great group of eager, committed Saudis and expatriates for whom Saudi Arabian Airlines was the world and to whom Saudia will forever be indebted.
Capt. Mattar inherited a great load — coming as he did after a strong personality, well liked and who commanded respect, Sheikh Kamel Sindi, and he fitted in the chair well. Always quick to put one at ease, everyone in the airline felt he was the one to talk to if and when you wound up in a jam. I worked closely with him and traveled on business trips. He was up and about early, focused from the crack of dawn and ready to finish the tasks of the day.
On the occasion of the move to King Abdulaziz International Airport in 1981, he was literally camped at the airport, checking every detail to ensure that Saudia operations were smooth. We would ask him to turn in and get some sleep, but he would smile and say “after you all do.” He was like a magnet to the young staff. Many of the pilots knew him first as their flight instructor, and he remained a strong proponent of training and continuing education. Due to his efforts, Saudia saw many courses implemented that enhanced the quality of its staff.
From college graduates to people without high school certificates opportunities were offered, and for me Saudia was a university and a great club where some great players played solidly. They kept Saudia engines purring and planes safely moving from one destination to the next. They helped charter new routes, marketed the airline and made a great impact on society.
Management was the keyword — leadership was another, and Capt. Mattar steered us with humility, wisdom and knowledge.
I remember once at a presentation he did not understand something, so he took me aside and asked me to explain the subject matter to him. Such was his thirst for understanding that he would not let his position prevent him from asking whatever he thought he needed to know.
He was open to multiple points of view and even respected those who disagreed with him. I would sometimes go to his office, and we would discuss the issues of the day as he listened intently, puffing away at his pipe.
He was one of that rare breed of men who never forget their humble beginnings and always put others first. Once on a flight to Riyadh that was overbooked, he got up from his seat and offered it to a passenger. “Customers come first” he told the airport staff.
Even after he left the airline, former colleagues would flock to his home in Jeddah. During Ramadan we all made it a point to visit him and the family he loved so dearly.
You can always tell the aviation people when you hear the whistle of a jetliner overhead. They are the ones looking ahead of the sound to see the airplane and make out its markings and judge its destination by its altitude and flight path. The next time you hear that unmistakable sound, look up and think of Ahmad Mattar — the pilot, the flight captain and one of the true heroes of Saudi aviation.
