State-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) could return to profitability this year or next, CEO Ibrahim Koshy said on Monday at the Arabian Travel Market trade fair in Dubai.

This is earlier than the comapany's previous expectation of a returning to profitability in 2024, Koshy said, adding that travel has picked up faster than anticipated and is 83% recovered from pre-pandemic levels.

(Reporting by Yousef Saba; Writing by Lina Najem; Editing by Louise Heavens)