Bengaluru, 24 th July 2026: Air India, India’s leading global airline, and Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand strategic cooperation between the two airlines. Building on their existing codeshare agreement, the MoU aims to strengthen connectivity between Saudi Arabia and India while supporting the continued growth of travel between the two countries.
The agreement was signed by H.E. Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of Saudia Group, and Mr. Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Air India.
The MoU sets out a phased approach to developing the partnership. Areas of cooperation include expanding the existing codeshare agreement, improving connectivity across both airlines’ networks, exploring terminal co-location and exploring further operational and commercial opportunities, including cooperation between their loyalty programs.
The two parties will also assess opportunities to extend the partnership in the future to other airlines within their respective groups, including flyadeal and Air India Express.
H.E. Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar 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.”
“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,” He added.
Mr. 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. 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.”
The Memorandum of Understanding establishes a framework for the continued development of the relationship between Saudia and Air India, creating opportunities to expand cooperation across multiple areas as both airlines continue to strengthen their international networks and respond to growing demand for travel between Saudi Arabia and India.
Since its privatisation in 2022, Air India has significantly expanded its global alliance network. Today, the airline maintains 25 codeshare partnerships and more than 120 interline agreements with leading carriers worldwide, providing seamless access for Air India customers to over 1,000 destinations globally.
About Air India Group
The Air India Group – comprising full-service global airline, Air India, and value carrier, Air India Express – is spearheading a new era of Indian aviation. The Air India story began in 1932 when JRD Tata piloted the airline’s inaugural flight and opened the skies for aviation in India. Today, Air India Group employs more than 30,000 people, operates over 300 aircraft and carries travellers to 60 domestic and 51 international destinations across five continents.
Returning to Tata Sons in 2022 following 70 years under Government ownership, Air India Group is in the midst of a five-year transformation program, Vihaan.AI. As part of the transformation, Air India has placed orders for 600 new aircraft. In addition to taking new aircraft deliveries, Air India progressively retrofitting all its legacy aircraft.
The Air India Group operates South Asia’s largest aviation training academy in Gurugram, India. The construction of a new flying school and a greenfield maintenance base is in progress.
With transformation underway across all facets of the business and India’s rich legacy of hospitality, Air India is committed to being a world class global airline with an Indian heart.
For more news on Air India, visit http://www.airindia.com/newsroom
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 with 153 aircraft. The airline serves an extensive global route network covering around 100 destinations across four continents, including all 26 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 named “Best Airline Staff Service” for 2025 by Skytrax and ranked 17th in the global airline rankings. In addition, Saudia ranked second globally for on-time performance (OTP) in 2025, according to Cirium. Saudia was also recognized at the APEX World Class 2026 Awards, receiving the “World Class Airline” title for the fifth consecutive year and the “Best in Class: Service–Guest Experience” award for the second consecutive year.
For more information on Saudia, please visit www.saudia.com
