The Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) has denied that a Lebanese woman has been appointed as the airline's director of Public Relations. Responding to a query by Al-Riyadh Arabic daily, sister publication of Riyadh Daily, an official Saudia spokesman, Mansour Al-Badr, said that Ms. Christie Sarkis has been appointed as Media and International Communication Consultant and not head of the Public Relations. Her vast communication experience in the international airline industry merited the consultancy assignment, he said. The social media was abuzz with chatter about the appointment, prompting the newspaper to seek a clarification from the airline. A number of Saudis tweeted their disapproval of the posting, saying that qualified Saudis were easily available for the top PR job.
