Thursday, Dec 08, 2011
BEIRUT (Zawya Dow Jones)--Government-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines, or Saudia, will be operating more aircraft in 2012 to overcome seat shortages, Jeddah-based Okaz daily reports Thursday citing an executive.
Saudia is now in the process of leasing 34 aircraft to cover its domestic and international flights, the paper reports citing Saad Al Sulaiman the carrier's director general for passenger services and sales in the kingdom's eastern region.
In 2012 the airline will also operate new airplanes that it had recently purchased, Sulaiman said according to the paper.
The number of seats on Saudia's airplanes currently doesn't cover the number of passengers in the eastern region and many of them are using the Bahrain airport due to the seat shortages, Okaz cites him as saying.
Newspaper website: http://www.okaz.com.sa/new/Issues/20111208/Con20111208461430.htm
-By Beirut Bureau, Zawya Dow Jones; +961-1-985 757; BeirutZDJ@zawya.com
Copyright (c) 2011 Dow Jones & Co.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
08-12-11 0811GMT
