Saudia Does It Again

 20 June 2022

 

Another Saudia Airlines Boeing 777-300ER doing flight SV862 veered off  taxiway  Charlie at 1:46pm as it heads to terminal 1. No one of the 398 passengers and 21 flight crews was hurt in the incident. Airport was closed for an hour affecting 21 Flights.

Saudia Flies Davao Next Year

15 September 2016

Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) has announced that it will start operating chartered flights from Davao City to Saudi Arabia starting next year with the use of Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. 

It will be the first long haul destination from Davao and the first long haul airline to serve Mindanao. 

The Saudia flight scheduled in the last week of August and first week of September are intended for Hajj delegates to the Muslims’ annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

The airline is expected to mount four flights from Davao to Medina and Jeddah, respectively.

There are about 12,000 Hajj delegates out of the 20,000 government allocations from around the Philippines, majority of whom are coming from Mindanao.

Saudia operates daily flights from Manila to Riyadh, Dammam, and Jeddah, respectively using B777-300ER planes.

Saudia Expands Philippine Operations

27 November 2014

Saudi Arabian Airlines is growing capacity to Manila by flying 14 times a week from the previous 11, between Riyadh and Dammam starting January 15 next year. 

Although it might appear to be an equipment downgrade from the previous Boeing 747-400 to the Boeing 777-300ER planes, the capacity increase is still equivalent to more than 1200 seats per week because the bi-class triple seven holds 413 passengers less than the 434 seats of the B747 or a difference of 23 passengers only.

“The Philippines is an important market for the airline since there is a large number of Filipinos working and living in Saudi Arabia,” said Saudia Airlines director-general Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser.

Saudia flights to Jeddah remains at two times a week operating still with a B747. 

The airline operates the most number of flights at 16 times a week to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) from Manila. 

Saudia is the first Middle Eastern airlines that provide direct flight between Manila and the KSA starting operations in the Philippines in 1982 with two weekly flights to Riyadh transporting 43,388 passengers, mostly overseas Filipino workers. Passengers rose to 403,254 in 2013.  

Currently, there are about 700,000 Filipinos in Saudi Arabia.

Leaving Too Soon

Saudia Misses Taxiway

6 August 2014

A Saudia Airlines Boeing 747-400 plane bound for Riyadh in Saudi Arabia was stuck in the mud after turning the plane too early as it prepares for take-off yesterday Evening.

The plane was ordered by air traffic controllers to hold short at Taxiway H1, a crossing taxiway heading to runway 24 around 7pm says the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) before it turned prematurely causing its left landing gears to be dragged to the heavily soaked grass after torrential downpours.

CAAP has already issued on Tuesday night Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) allowing only narrow body aircraft like Boeing 737 and Airbus 320 to use the blocked runway on the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for takeoff and landing.


Echo one was activated as holding point for runway 24 take-off says CAAP. 

The Saudia plane was cleared at the taxiway H1 after midnight, and was towed to Lufthansa Teknik for checks.
 
Several airlines operating widebody aircraft were diverted to Clark last night due to the incident and was allowed to fly Manila early this morning. Affected flights were Philippine Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Delta, ANA, Emirates, Korean Air and Singapore Airlines.