Jeddah: Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, has announced the appointment of two members of its senior leadership team to the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s influential advisory councils.

Mr. Faisal Sabbagh, Executive Vice President of Finance and Services at Saudia Group, has been appointed to the Industry Financial Advisory Council, while Mr. Abdulgader Attiah, Chief Data and Technology Officer at Saudia Group, has been appointed to join the Digital Transformation Advisory Council.

The advisory councils focus on identifying innovative solutions to advance the aviation sector and provide recommendations for qualitative initiatives in key areas including digital transformation, security, aviation safety, and sustainability.

Notably, H.E. Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of Saudia Group, serves as an elected member of IATA’s Board of Governors, the highest legislative body within the organization. In addition, he holds positions in both the Chair Committee and the Nominating Committee, playing a crucial role in overseeing and guiding IATA’s strategic direction.

With these new appointments, Saudia’s representation in IATA’s advisory councils has now reached six members across six of the association’s nine councils. Previously, Captain Mohammed Dahduli, Vice President of Safety, Aviation Security and Quality at Saudia, was appointed to the Security Advisory Council; Mr. Marwan Niazi, Vice President Commercial Saudia Air Cargo Company, joined the Cargo Advisory Council; Mr. Mohammed Alsaied, General Manager of Strategies and Legal Compliance, became a member of the Legal Advisory Council; and Dr. Saleh Bukhari, General Manager of Sales and Distribution Strategies, was appointed to the Distribution Advisory Council.

These appointments further affirm Saudia’s esteemed position and the trust it has within the global aviation industry. They also reflect the airline’s commitment to leading the industry forward through strategic expertise.

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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. The airline serves an extensive global route network covering around 100 destinations across four continents, including all 28 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 recognized as the World’s Most Improved Airline 2024 by Skytrax, marking the third time it has received this accolade, alongside 14 other distinguished awards. Saudia has also been awarded the "World Class Airline 2024" for the third consecutive year at The APEX Official Airline Ratings™ awards. Additionally, also ranked top among global airlines for best on-time performance (OTP) according to a report by Cirium.

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