Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) is celebrating its ten years of operations to China. The kingdom's flag carrier began operations to Guangzhou on March 27 in 2011, initially flying thrice a week with a widebody Boeing 777-200.

It then got upgraded to a B777-300 in 2017 and then to a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner thereafter in 2019.

The airline steadily built up its market presence and flight operations in China over the past decade in response to strong passenger growth and rising demand for greater connectivity between the kingdom and the East Asian country.

In 2011, the route was operated as a tag flight Jeddah-Riyadh-Guangzhou, which then grew to seven nonstop flights presently, four from Riyadh and three from Jeddah.

Saudia operates from the new Terminal 2 at Guangzhou Baiyun International airport, which opened in April 2018. Saudia was the first international airline to move its operations to the new terminal.

In response to the coronavirus pandemic outbreak, Saudia suspended flights to Guangzhou between February 1 until July 22.

During the period of suspended passenger flights, the airline transferred its commercial flights to cargo-only and, as a result, carried 543 tons of medical equipment and aid supplies. The Riyadh Guangzhou link was the first route in the airlines network to utilize its commercial flight air slots for cargo purposes.

Speaking on the occasion, Saudia Country Manager China, Hong Kong & Taiwan Reham Zarei said: "Thanks to the flag carrier's outstanding contributions to the global efforts to fight the pandemic, the Saudi Arabia-Guangzhou route has been instrumental during these unprecedented times."

"In leading up to the tenth year of operations, the airline has grown from strength-to-strength in its presence in China, providing an important air link connecting economic and business ties via Saudias operational hubs in Riyadh and Jeddah," he stated.

"On behalf of the Saudia family, I also extend my gratitude and appreciation to our colleagues in China who have made profound contributions to the airlines success in Guangzhou through their commitment and dedication to providing exceptional guest experiences," added Zarei.

Saudia seamlessly connects routes into mainland China from the northern hemisphere through its two hubs (Jeddah and Riyadh) and conveniently provides air links onwards within China to domestic routes through its codeshare partnership with China Southern Airlines.

Saudia and China Southern Airlines have been long-term partners since the operations to Guangzhou began.

In recent years, Saudia has invested significantly in its fleet of more than 145 narrow and widebody aircraft and operates one of the youngest fleets in the skies, with an average aircraft age of 5 years.

The airlines route network includes more than 90 destinations across four continents to all 28 domestic airports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, he added.-TradeArabia News Service

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