Jeddah: Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier, Saudia, will install newly designed seats in the airline’s upcoming Boeing 787 fleet, scheduled for delivery from early 2026 onwards.
Additionally, a comprehensive seat retrofit program to enhance functionality and aesthetics has been planned for Saudia’s current Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 fleet, starting in late 2025 and concluding by late 2027.
The airline has signed a contract with aerospace and defence company Collins Aerospace to upgrade Saudia’s fleet interiors. The collaboration also paves the way for further synergies with Saudia Group’s subsidiary – Saudia Technic.
Moreover, Business Class cabins across Saudia’s wide-body fleet will all consist of private suites. Saudia first unveiled the seats for the airline’s upcoming Boeing 787 fleet in July last year. The new seats will be featured in the Boeing B787 Dreamliner aircraft arriving in 2025, totalling 39 planes. Some suites were also equipped with a 32-inch screen with 4K resolution. The Economy class displays equipped the seats with several new comfort features, including storage areas and 13.3-inch seatback entertainment screens.
“A key feature of the plan involves the establishment of localized repair capabilities as well as select spares manufacturing capabilities with Saudia Technic, reinforcing Group’s commitment to the localization of content in the region,” said the airline in a statement.
The statement added that this would improve the carrier’s in-house repair capability, streamline spare support, deploy localized product support, and implement comprehensive solutions to optimize fleet performance and operational efficiency.
“We are thrilled to join forces with Collins Aerospace to introduce state-of-the-art Business and Economy Class seats into our new fleet, as well as retrofit our existing fleet’s interiors,” said Rossen Dimitrov, Chief Customer Experience Officer at Saudia.
“This partnership represents a significant step forward in our commitment to delivering exceptional comfort and convenience to our guests,” said Dimitrov. “Additionally, the establishment of additional capabilities in Jeddah underscores our dedication to fostering local expertise and driving economic growth,” he added.
He added, “This synergy reflects the Group’s collective effort to set new standards of excellence in the aviation industry.”
Meanwhile, Cynthia Muklevicz, Vice President of Business Development at Collins Aerospace, said, “This partnership expands our longstanding relationship and further supports the transformative airline growth underway at Saudia. Our team is dedicated to delivering innovative solutions that exceed expectations, and we look forward to collaborating closely with Saudia to redefine the standards of comfort and luxury in air travel.”
