Riyadh-Saudi Arabia: 11 May, 2013 - Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia), the national airline of Saudi Arabia, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Amadeus, a leading technology partner for the global travel industry, to collaborate on the development of e-commerce and mobile solutions for the benefit of Saudia and its customers.
The joint initiative will provide support and guidance on both existing and new initiatives led by Saudi Arabian Airlines, including cargo, airport and revenue orientated solutions. The initiative will also help Saudia attract young Saudi professionals to develop niche software solutions.
King Abdullah Economic City has been identified as the ideal locale for the Competency Center due to its cutting-edge facilities, strategic position between East and West, and peerless ability to interact with the region's largest economy. It is predicted the city will be the size of Washington DC when finished in 2025. The US$100bn project will be particularly influential in boosting the Kingdom's tourism, logistics, energy, transportation and manufacturing sectors. Saudia has already committed to moving 1000 employees to its Smart Technology Hub in King Abdullah Economic City.
"Saudi Arabia needs to continue strengthening its ability to create sustainable high-tech jobs, and Saudia is determined to do everything it can to support this process," said His Excellency Eng. Khalid Abdullah Almolhem, Director General, Saudia.
The existing strategic business relationship with Amadeus will facilitate great opportunities to jointly develop aviation specific software that would be targeted to improving customer services and passengers connivance on platforms such as social media and mobile devices.
"We congratulate Saudia for establishing itself in these new premises which are at the forefront of the region's modern business environment," commented Francois Weissert, Senior Vice President & Chief Technology Advisor, Middle East and Asia, Amadeus. "We will also consider options to increase our presence and activities in KAEC as we strongly believe it is important to introduce new technology solutions and create local employment opportunities to foster local economic development."
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Amadeus is a leading provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel industry. Customer groups include travel providers (e.g. airlines, hotels, rail and ferry operators, etc.), travel sellers (travel agencies and websites), and travel buyers (corporations and travel management companies).
The Amadeus group employs around 10,000 people worldwide, across central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters), Nice (development) and Erding (operations), as well as 73 local Amadeus Commercial Organisations globally.
The group operates a transaction-based business model. For the year ended December 31, 2012 the company reported revenues of €2,910.3million and EBITDA of €1,107.7 million.
Amadeus is listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange under the symbol "AMS.MC" and is a component of the IBEX 35 index.
To find out more about Amadeus please visit www.amadeus.com
Contact details:APCO Worldwide
Tara Basrur
Mob: +971 50 4692774
E-mail: tbasrur@apcoworldwide.com
© Press Release 2013
