Saudia marks 10 years of operations to China

Saudia marks 10 years of operations to China

Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) is celebrating its ten years of operations to China. The kingdom's flag carrier began operations to Guangzhou on March 27 in 2011, initially flying thrice a week with a widebody Boeing 777-200.It then got upgraded to a B777-300 in 2017 and then to a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner thereafter in 2019.In 2011, the route was operated as a tag flight Jeddah-Riyadh-Guangzhou, which then grew to seven nonstop flights presently, four from Riyadh and three from Jeddah.Saudia operates from the new Terminal 2 at Guangzhou Baiyun International airport, which opened in April 2018. Saudia was the first international airline to move its operations to the new terminal.In response to the coronavirus pandemic outbreak, Saudia suspended flights to Guangzhou between February 1 until July 22. During the period of suspended passenger flights, the airline transferred its commercial flights to cargo-only and, as a result, carried 543 tons of medical equipment and aid supplies. The Riyadh - Guangzhou link was the first route in the airline's network to utilize its commercial flight air slots for cargo purposes. Speaking on the occasion, Saudia Country Manager China, Hong Kong & Taiwan Reham Zarei said: "Thanks to the flag carrier's outstanding contributions to