Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA) has advanced 11 positions in the “Skytrax” airlines ranking of the World Best Airlines 2023.
The national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia has jumped to the 23rd spot in the 2023 rankings, based on traveler votes. The announcement was made during the 54th edition of the Paris Air Show 2023, “Le Bourget,” held in Paris, France.
SAUDIA has achieved significant jumps in this ranking over the past few years, as it jumped from (82) to (51) in 2017 and then again to (26) in 2021, earning the distinction of “World Most Improved Airline” twice in both years.
The progress in international rankings comes at a time when SAUDIA seeks to contribute to achieving the goals of the national strategy for transportation, logistics services, and the national strategy for the aviation sector.
In addition, to strengthen the Kingdom’s efforts in serving the visiting pilgrims for Hajj and Umrah, and to also support and encourage tourism through participation in all seasons and various entertainment, cultural, sports and economic events.
SAUDIA started out in 1945 with a single twin-engine DC-3 (Dakota) HZ-AAX given to King Abdul Aziz as a gift by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This was followed months later with the purchase of 2 more DC-3s, and these formed the nucleus of what a few years later was to become one of the world’s largest airlines. Today, SAUDIA has 142 aircraft, including the latest and most advanced wide-bodied jets presently available: B787-9, B777-268L, B777-300ER, Airbus A320-200, Airbus A321, and Airbus A330-300.
The World Airline Awards began in 1999, when Skytrax launched its first global, annual airline customer satisfaction survey. It is not restricted to member airlines or a pre-selected choice of airline, and any airline in the world can be nominated. There are no survey entry fees, no payment to attend the awards event, and no charges for any use of the award logos and results by winning airlines.
