Saudia braces for summer rush

Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) plans to increase the number of flights on its domestic and international routes to cope with the summer and Ramadan rush.
“The airline is currently making plans to meet the heavy passenger rush during the upcoming peak seasons of the summer vacation, Umrah pilgrimage in Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr holidays. The plan includes appointing qualified and specialist national workers for air and ground operations and passenger services to ensure smooth travel solutions for all passengers. A new fleet will also be used for carrying passengers,” acting Director General of Saudia Abdul Aziz Al-Hazmi said in a press statement on Friday.
“The plan for the vacations will focus on punctuality for departures and arrivals, availability of increased number of seats on domestic and international flights besides better passenger service,” Al-Hazmi said.
The official called on passengers to make use of the online booking service by visiting www.saudiairlines.com to ensure a comfortable journey.
He said the Saudi Arabian Airlines will operate 3,424 outbound and inbound flights with 585,574 seats registering a 7 percent increase compared to 3,242 flights with a passenger capacity of 545,466 in 2013.
He added that the plan for the domestic sector during the peak season had approved 2,318 flights with 319,850 seats registering a 6 percent increase compared to last year’s 2,244 flights to carry 300,150 passengers.