Air India and Saudia Sign Codeshare Agreement

Air India and Saudia Sign Codeshare Agreement Effective February

Air India and Saudia, the national carrier of Saudi Arabia, have signed a codeshare agreement that will take effect in February. The partnership aims to improve connectivity between India and Saudi Arabia, expand network access, and offer travellers more flight options across key routes for tourism, business travel, and other passenger segments.

Under the agreement, customers of both airlines will benefit from simplified booking and ticketing, smoother connections through a single itinerary, and baggage check-through to the final destination.

Expanded Connections Across Saudi Arabia

Air India passengers travelling to Jeddah or Riyadh will be able to connect onward on Saudia-operated flights to:

• Dammam

• Abha

• Gassim

• Gizan

• Madinah

• Taif

The addition of codeshare flights on the Jeddah–Riyadh route will also allow travellers the flexibility to arrive in one city and depart from another. Connections to select international destinations are expected to be added later this year.

Improved Access Across India for Saudia Guests

The codeshare will provide Saudia passengers access to multiple Indian cities via Mumbai and Delhi, including:

• Ahmedabad

• Bengaluru

• Kolkata

• Kochi

• Hyderabad

• Chennai

• Lucknow

• Jaipur

Additional destinations will be available through interline arrangements.

Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, said: “Saudi Arabia is among our important markets in the Middle East, with the country transforming into a key international gateway to the region. We are pleased to partner with Saudia to provide greater access to the Indian diaspora in Saudi Arabia and to support travel to the Kingdom’s expanding tourism destinations for travellers from India.”

H.E. Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of Saudia Group, said: “The codeshare agreement with Air India is an important step forward, reflecting both airlines’ commitment to increasing connectivity between our home markets while offering travellers access to more destinations through simplified travel procedures.”

He added that Saudia has operated in India for over 60 years, supporting travel demand and ties between the two countries. He also highlighted that Saudi Arabia’s visitor entry options, including e-visas, stopover visas, and visa-on-arrival for eligible Indian passport holders, have made travel to the Kingdom more accessible.

Since its privatization in 2022, Air India has expanded its global partner network. The airline currently has 24 codeshare partnerships and nearly 100 interline agreements, providing access to more than 800 destinations worldwide through partner airlines.