Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA), the national flag carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, touched down in Surabaya and Medan, for the first time as a regular scheduled service – connecting Jeddah to the southern and northern Indonesian cities.
The inaugural routes to Medan and Surabaya were marked with a special ribbon and cake- cutting ceremony, and touched down on 29 October 2018 in both cities the following day.
The flights are operated as two separate routes with dedicated widebody Boeing 747 aircraft, availing 450 seats. Jeddah to Surabaya begins as a four-times-weekly service, while Medan is a twice-weekly service.
Upon arrival at Surabaya’s International Airport (SUB), the airline’s senior delegation were met by the Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Republic of Indonesia Osama Bin Mohammad Abdullah Al-Shuaibi, as well as aviation, airport officials and members of the media were present to attend the event in Surabaya.
Speeches and traditional folklore presentations and exchanges were made in the presence of guests to welcome the inaugural flight on the historic occasion.