Saudia partners with Air France-KLM

Saudia, the national airline of Saudi Arabia, has entered into a significant partnership with Air France-KLM to boost and localize its Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) operations. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed during a ceremony attended by prominent figures, including President Emmanuel Macron of France, Engr. Engr. Saleh Al-Jasser, Chairman of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation, joined by Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of Saudia Group, were present at the event.. The agreement was officially inked by Capt. Capt. The agreement was signed by Capt. The Managing Director of Saudia Technic, Fahd Cynndy, and Anne Brachet, Executive Vice President of Air France-KLM Engineering & Maintenance.

Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of Saudia Group, stated, “This agreement reflects the visionary leadership of the Saudia Group Board, led by its chairman, H.E. Engr. Saleh Al-Jasser, Minister of Transport and Logistics. It aligns with the Saudi Aviation Strategy, spearheaded by the General Authority of Civil Aviation, and demonstrates our commitment to advancing the Kingdom’s aviation sector.”

Benjamin Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM stated: “Saudia is a historic partner of Air France-KLM, and in the context of Saudi Arabia’s fast-paced development, we see a mutual interest in expanding our commercial cooperation and pooling our expertise, notably in the strategic MRO activity. Air France-KLM Engineering and Maintenance is already a leader in the field, and further cooperation with Saudia will unlock additional opportunities in the country and in the region”.

This collaboration is a major step forward in strengthening Saudia’s technical infrastructure within the Kingdom, highlighting the shared commitment of both organizations to enhance their presence and growth in the aviation industry.

Under the terms of the MOU, Saudia will take on the assembly and disassembly of GE90 engines, which power Boeing 777 aircraft. In exchange for localizing this process, Saudia will allocate a guaranteed 50% of the GE90 work orders to Air France-KLM. The agreement also delves into the possibility of establishing a joint venture dedicated to GEnx engines, which power Boeing 787 aircraft.. This move complements Saudia’s existing MRO capabilities, which include servicing CFM LEAP-1A engines for Airbus A320neo family planes.

On the commercial front, the partnership also aims to strengthen the existing codeshare agreement between Saudia and Air France-KLM, both of which are members of the SkyTeam alliance.