King Abdul Aziz, the founder of the Kingdom, was also responsible for the birth of Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia), one of the largest carriers in the Middle East.

It started in 1945 with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt giving the king a single twin-engine DC-3 Dakota HZ-AAX as a gift, after they met in Egypt earlier that year.

It was a memorable year for residents of the Arabian Peninsula. They watched with a mixture of fear and curiosity how “The Son of the Desert” crisscrossed the skies.

This new form of transportation was a milestone in the Kingdom’s economic and political development.

This miracle — in the eyes of the people at the time — took off from Egypt, flew to Jeddah, and then to Afif where the royal camps were located. King Abdul Aziz then flew to Taif.

The Dakota impressed the people, especially those living in the Najd region, but also the king himself. He later purchased seven of these planes, forming the basis of Saudia and ushering in an era of modern transportation. The first flights carried 25 passengers at a time between Jeddah and Riyadh.