Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA), the national airline of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, will participate in the upcoming 2017 Arabian Travel Market travel and tourism event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on April 24-27 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center. This year the airline will feature a new 200 square meter, two-storey exhibition stand showcasing new brand designs, including interactive features and live demonstrations from SAUDIA's ‘Chef on Board' service. A new a la carte café concept recently introduced in Saudia's Al Fursan lounges will also be available, providing a fresh and modern service for guests. For the first time, SAUDIA will debut its ‘First Suite' First Class suite at the Arabian Travel market. The new product was launched late last year and is featured on the airline's Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Director General of SAUDIA Engineer Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser said: "Saudia has been a long-time participant at the Arabian Travel Market, which is an excellent platform to communicate the airline's latest developments, including new products and services." He added: "The guest experience is a key focus area for the airline, in particular, introducing new products onboard and making travel more convenient through the introduction of the latest technology and applications." The airline was recently honored with two Gold awards at the TravelPlus Awards ceremony in Hamburg, Germany for its Brand Collaboration with Porsche Design for Saudia's First Class sleeper suit and its women's amenity kits by Furla (Reader's Choice). SAUDIA was also recognized for "Outstanding Onboard Catering – Middle East" by Pax International for the second consecutive year, at the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) also in Hamburg, Germany earlier this month. In February at the ‘Aircraft Interiors Middle East' Awards' in Dubai, Saudia was named best "Inflight Entertainment and Connectivity (IFEC) Carrier" for inflight entertainment, connectivity, and onboard internet service available through the SKYfi portal. The carrier has expanded its route network this year, recently adding two destinations: Multan (Pakistan) and Portsudan (Sudan) on April 1 and April 7 respectively. SAUDIA's route network covers 86 destinations across four continents and through its partnership with Skyteam, it connects its guests to the entire alliance network of 1062 destinations in 177 countries. — SG
