Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) held a ceremony at the Jeddah Hilton on Wednesday to celebrate the achievements of its former director-general, Khaled Al-Molhem, in the presence of Prince Fahd bin Abdullah, president of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and chairman of the national flag carrier.

Addressing the ceremony, Al-Molhem urged Saudia to focus on the domestic sector, as well as Haj and Umrah services, to add value to the organization, which has advanced in its privatization program. He also noted the remarkable progress achieved by the flag carrier in recent years.

“Saudia’s achievements in the past were the result of its employees’ combined work with a team spirit,” Al-Molhem said, while wishing all success to the new director-general, Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser.

Prince Fahd commended Al-Molhem for the substantial achievements made by the airline during his eight-year tenure, including modernization of aircraft fleet, expansion of domestic and international operations, upgrading of its IT infrastructure and joining the Skyteam global alliance.

“Al-Molhem’s achievements speak for themselves. He has brought about big qualitative improvement in Saudia’s performance level and services,” Prince Fahd said, while calling for wider interaction among employees to take the organization to greater heights and prosperity.

Al-Jasser also underscored Al-Molhem’s contributions that have helped Saudia achieve four-star airline status and win several international awards.

“I had followed the development programs at Saudia when I was a member of its board of directors and I had taken note that all these programs have been transformed into achievements as a result of Prince Fahd’s directives and the efforts of Al-Molhem, the team of executives and other employees,” said Al-Jasser who took charge after Eid Al-Fitr.

Earlier, Abdul Aziz Al-Hazmi, CEO of Saudi Airlines Company, gave a presentation highlighting Al-Molhem’s achievements. “The first thing he did after becoming the director-general was form executive and field working teams in all sectors to implement the organization’s strategic plans,” he said.

Al-Hazmi noted the airline’s efforts in using modern technology to improve customer services and facilitate travel procedures. “Saudia now makes the lion’s share of its sales through modern technology to facilitate and simplify travel procedures for passengers,” he added.