Dammam route," Arab News today quoted Al Baker as saying. The corrected item follows: 0003 Saudi Arabian Airlines, Qatar Airways Sign Accord 2 Doha "This new code-share marks a historic milestone for Qatar Airways and Saudi Arabian Airlines and is the beginning of a long-term relationship that will help strengthen ties between our two countries," said Al Baker, speaking at a press conference in Doha. "We look forward to a prosperous relationship with Saudi Arabian Airlines and a long-term partnership that is going to deliver additional value to passengers flying on the Doha-Dammam route," Arab News today quoted Al Baker as saying. Al-Amri expressed his satisfaction of the agreement and said that it will also allow regional expansion of the two airlines. "The agreement will increase the marketing alliances in the region and it will help in reducing the operational costs for both carriers," says Al-Amri. Al-Amri added, "Strategic alliance is one of Saudi Airlines' strategic directions, and currently the airline is involved in many code-share agreements that help the airline to penetrate new markets and add more routes with less operational costs." The Saudi delegation to Doha also included Mohammad Rushdi Fairak, senior manager, Bilateral Commercial Agreement, and Nowaf Alharbi, Saudi Arabian Airlines manager in Qatar and Bahrain. The occasion was attended by Ahmad Al-Idrisi, Qatar Airways' Saudi Arabia regional manager for Western province. Al-Idrisi played a major role in the preparation of the agreement by coordinating between the two airlines from the beginning of the negotiation until the signing. Saudi Arabian Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world with some 150 aircraft. In October 2005, the airline celebrated its 60th anniversary and the carrying of 16 million passengers during the year.