The Air France-KLM Group has signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saudia that lays the foundation for strengthened cooperation in the fields of passenger transport and aircraft maintenance.
On Tuesday (December 3, 2024), The Air France-KLM Group announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia. The agreement lays the foundation for strengthened cooperation in the areas of passenger transport and aircraft maintenance. The signing ceremony took place at the Saudi-French Investment Forum in Riyadh, in the presence of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Air France-KLM’s CEO, Benjamin Smith, said,
“Saudia is a historic partner of Air France-KLM. 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 Industries-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.”
Also commenting on the expanded commercial cooperation, Saudia Group’s Director General, H.E. Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, said,
“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.”
Already fellow SkyTeam Alliance members, under the new agreement, the airlines will foster stronger ties to improve connectivity between their home markets of France, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia. Air France-KLM and Saudia will also significantly expand their existing codeshare and interline commercial agreements. Additionally, the agreement includes initiatives to optimize operations and improve the guest experience, notable through terminal co-location at key airports.
As previously mentioned, the memorandum of understanding also includes enhanced MRO cooperation, with Air France Industries-KLM Engineering and Maintenance (AFIKLM E&M) being awarded a firm minimum of 50 percent of the maintenance work on Saudia’s GE90 engines used on their Boeing 777s. This includes the localization of the process of module assembly and disassembly for these engines. Saudia will also consider AFIKLM E&M for all future MRO sourcing processes, and both airlines will jointly explore the opportunity of establishing a joint venture for GEnx engines, which power the Boeing 787 Dreamliner Family.
For winter 2024/25 Air France-KLM will operate up to 10 weekly flights to/from Saudia Arabia,, including new service to Jeddah from Paris-Orly and Lyon, operated by Transavia France. Air France Industries-KLM Engineering and maintenance currently provides MRO services to over 200 airline customers worldwide, including Saudia, supporting more than 3,000 aircraft across the globe with a team of 12,800 experts.
Source Air France-KLM Group