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Middle East flag carriers Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) and Gulf Air announced on Sunday a codeshare agreement to boost passenger connectivity and gain access to new markets.
The announcement comes as airlines in the region and around the world are looking to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
The codeshare will start this summer and will be applicable for travel around the Middle East and Asia.
Gulf Air will place its “GF” code on Saudi flights from Riyadh and Jeddah to Bahrain, Abha, Jizan, Yanbu, Aljouf, Ha’il as well as Tunis–Carthage airport. For its part, Saudia will place its “SV” code on Gulf Air flights from Bahrain to Riyadh, Jeddah, Tbilisi, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Baku and Multan.
“Gulf Air and Saudia will cooperate to expand their footprints regionally and internationally by sharing their codes,” a joint statement said.
Airlines bled cash last year after the coronavirus pandemic put a break on international travel.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that airlines in the Middle East will lose around $4.2 billion this year, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to weigh on travel demand.
The latest figures are an improvement on the estimated $7.9 billion industry loss and -28.9 percent profit margin declines incurred by airlines in the region last year.
(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Seban Scaria)
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