Air India and Saudia expand codeshare, strengthen India-Saudi connectivity

Air India and Saudi Arabia's national carrier Saudia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand their strategic partnership, aiming to improve air connectivity between India and Saudi Arabia and explore broader operational and commercial cooperation.

The agreement, signed by Saudia Group Director General H.E. Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar and Air India Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson, builds on the airlines' existing codeshare partnership. It outlines a phased plan to deepen collaboration as travel demand between the two countries continues to grow.


Under the MoU, the airlines will work on expanding their existing codeshare agreement, improving connectivity across both networks, exploring terminal co-location at airports, and identifying new operational and commercial opportunities. They will also examine cooperation between their respective loyalty programmes.

The two carriers will further assess extending the partnership to other airlines within their groups, including Air India Express and flyadeal.

Partnership to support growing travel demand

H.E. Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of Saudia Group, said, "India is an important market for Saudia, and Air India is a valued partner in strengthening travel links between our two countries. This partnership will offer guests greater choice, flexibility, and more seamless journeys across both networks as demand continues to grow."

He added, "It will also create new opportunities for operational and commercial collaboration, supporting the growth priorities of both airlines and providing scope to broaden the relationship across our respective airline groups in the future."

Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Air India, said, "The relationship between India and Saudi Arabia continues to strengthen across multiple dimensions, creating significant opportunities for aviation to play an even greater role in connecting people, businesses, and the economies of the two nations."

He added, "As carriers serving rapidly growing markets, Air India and Saudia are well positioned to deepen this relationship through closer collaboration. Together with Saudia, we look forward to exploring a range of new opportunities that will deliver greater value to our respective customers while supporting our long-term growth objectives, together."

Air India expands global partnership network

According to Air India, the MoU establishes a framework for expanding cooperation across multiple areas as both airlines continue to strengthen their international networks.

Since its privatisation in 2022, Air India has significantly expanded its global partnerships. The airline now has 25 codeshare agreements and more than 120 interline partnerships, providing customers access to over 1,000 destinations worldwide.