Boeing has been in talks with Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia), pitching its new middle-of-the-market 797 jetliner and the stretched 737 Max 10 for use on busy domestic routes linking Jeddah, Medina and Riyadh, Ahmed Jazzar, president of Boeing Saudi Arabia, told Bloomberg ahead of the Dubai Air Show.
“Jeddah to Riyadh traffic, those are two major cities, is one of the heaviest-traveled city pairs in the world. So you need wide-body aircraft for that, but it’s a short distance, so it’s uniquely positioned for a bigger-than-737 aircraft,” Jazzar said.
Saudi Arabia is a promising market for Boeing Co.’s new aircraft targeting mid-range flights, as domestic routes would be a good fit for a midsize plane.
The Chicago-based carrier is confident that it will win more opportunities in the Kingdom and benefit from the economic overhaul, even after the anti-corruption purge launched a week ago.
It will also capitalize on opportunities identified in the Saudi Vision 2030, as Riyadh aims to increase the number of pilgrims traveling to the country during the Haj to 30 million from current 7 million.
Saudia will fly half of those trips, with the remaining covered in joint ventures with the flag carriers of Islamic nations including Malaysia, Indonesia and Nigeria, Jazzar added.
Last June, Boeing and Saudi Arabia signed agreements worth over $50 billion during US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Kingdom, Argaam reported.
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