Jeddah: Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, and Air India, India’s leading global airline, have signed a codeshare agreement that will take effect in February. The agreement introduces a range of benefits for Saudia’s and Air India’s guests, boosting connectivity, enhancing travel experience, strengthening network access, maximising flight options, and supporting growing demand across tourism, business travel, and wider guest segments.

Through the new partnership, guests will enjoy streamlined booking and ticketing, smooth connections using a single itinerary, and baggage check-through to their final destination.

The codeshare will provide Saudia’s guests access to major cities across India via Mumbai and Delhi, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Kochi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Lucknow, and Jaipur and more than 15 other destinations as interline.

Air India guests travelling to Jeddah or Riyadh with Air India can take seamless onward connections on Saudia-operated flights to Dammam, Abha, Gassim, Gizan, Madinah, and Taif. The addition of codeshare flights on the Jeddah-Riyadh route now allows guests more flexibility to arrive in one city and depart from another. Connections to select complementary international destinations will be added later this year.

H.E. Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of Saudia Group, said: “The codeshare agreement with Air India marks a strategic step forward, given both airlines’ long histories and their shared commitment to increasing connectivity within their home markets and between their countries, while offering guests broader access to more destinations through simplified travel procedures that elevate the overall travel experience.”

He added: “Saudia’s presence in India spans over 60 years, during which we’ve proudly served a wide range of guests and helped foster stronger ties between our two nations. Saudia Arabia is a great place to visit, and with seamless e-visas, stopover visas, and also visa-on-arrival for eligible Indian passport holders, it has never been easier to visit the Kingdom.”

Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, said: “Saudi Arabia is amongst our most important markets in the Middle East, with the country fast transforming into a major international gateway to the region. We are happy to be partnering with Saudia to provide greater access to the large Indian diaspora spread across Saudi Arabia as well as to open up the Kingdom’s rapidly evolving and diverse tourism offerings and remarkable destinations to holidaymakers from India.”

Saudia currently has 25 active codeshare agreements, enabling its guests to access more than 100 additional international destinations. These agreements also allow travelers on partner airlines to reach a wide range of domestic destinations in the Kingdom, reinforcing Saudia’s role in expanding global connectivity and bringing the world to Saudi Arabia.

About Saudia:

Saudia (Saudia Airlines) is the national flag carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Established in 1945, the company has grown to become one of the Middle East’s largest airlines.
Saudia has invested significantly in upgrading its aircraft and currently operates one of the youngest fleet with 149 aircraft. The airline serves an extensive global route network covering around 100 destinations across four continents, including all 26 domestic airports in Saudi Arabia.
A member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO), Saudia has also been a member airline in SkyTeam, the second largest alliance, since 2012.
Saudia was recently named “Best Airline Staff Service” for 2025 by Skytrax and ranked 17th in the global airline rankings. In addition, Saudia ranked first globally for on-time performance (OTP), according to Cirium. Saudia recognized at the APEX World Class 2026 Awards, receiving the “World Class Airline” title for the fifth consecutive year and the “Best in Class: Service–Guest Experience” award for the second consecutive year.

For more information on Saudia, please visit www.saudia.com

About Air India:

The Air India group – comprising full-service global airline, Air India, and value carrier, Air India Express – is spearheading a new era of Indian aviation. The Air India story began in 1932 when JRD Tata piloted the airline’s inaugural flight and opened the skies for aviation in India. Today, Air India group employs more than 30,000 people, operates over 300 aircraft and carries customers to 57 domestic and 49 international destinations across five continents.

Returning to the Tata Sons in 2022 following 70 years under Government ownership, Air India group is in the midst of a five-year transformation program, Vihaan.AI. As part of the transformation, Air India has placed an order for 570 new aircraft. In 2024, sister airlines Air Asia India and Vistara were successfully merged into Air India Express and Air India, respectively, and the Airline opened South Asia’s largest aviation training academy. A new flying school is scheduled to open in 2025, and construction of a greenfield maintenance base, to be operational in 2026, is underway. In addition to receiving new aircraft, all existing aircraft are progressively undergoing a full interior refit.

With transformation underway across all facets of the business and India’s rich legacy of hospitality, Air India is committed to being a world class global airline with an Indian heart.

For more stories on Air India, visit http://www.airindia.com/newsroom

PRESS CONTACT
Air India
Ronit Baugh
ronit.baugh@airindia.com