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Saudia is achieving operational objectives during busy summer

JEDDAH - Saudi Arabian Airlines has continued achieving the operational objectives of its summer plan, which aims to address spikes in domestic and international travel.

Saudia will fully prepare its airports as well as domestic and international stations to be ready to serve passengers at those locations and aboard its planes.

"The plan aims to provide two million seats to serve the increasing number of flights during this time of the year," said Abdullah Bin Mushabab Al-Ajhar, the airline's Assistant Director General for Public Relations. "We have alternative operational plans to face different conditions at stations, which have seen great increases in flights during the summer season."

Saudi Arabian Airlines transported 299,144 passengers on 1,500 scheduled and additional domestic flights from June 29 to July 1, he added.

Passengers were transported from main stations of Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Madina, and Abha, and there was an estimated 90-percent performance level, Al-Ajhar said.

Scheduled and additional domestic flights have been intensified as planned to accommodate the increasing demand during this period. Two million seats have been added to domestic flights in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Madina, Abha and other domestic locations, he added.

King Abdul Aziz International Airport had the highest number of passengers transported on scheduled and additional flights, Al-Ajhar noted. Between June 29 and July 1, the airport served more than 126,000 passengers on 762 flights.

Riyadh had more than 1,11,000 passengers on 610 flights; Dammam had about 26,000 passengers on 276 flights; Madina transported more than 18,000 passengers on 222 flights; and Abha station transported more than 17,100 people on 110 flights, Al-Ajhar said.

"For the first time, the summer plan included the issuance of boarding passes for international flights," he said. "One can get this service from Saudia stations in the Gulf and Middle East regions, and later from the rest of the international stations," he said.

Saudia has also developed and improved its services for reservations, ticket purchase and seat selection, and added auto-service machines so travelers can get tickets and boarding passes faster, said Al-Ajhar.

Saudia has also added 150 employees to its reservation center to handle the innumerable calls, he said.
Callers can ask about reservations, tickets, seat selection, special meals, flight schedules, flight confirmations and cancellations, Al-Ajhar said.

Al-Ajhar said it is important for customers to benefit from the recently announced procedures regarding reservations and purchasing tickets, and to enter their cell phone numbers in reservation records so they can be contacted if there is new information.

Al-Ajhar pledged that Saudi Arabian Airlines will continue to work harder to improve performance levels and services provided to clients during the summer and throughout the year.

© The Saudi Gazette 2011