Saudi Arabia’s aviation industry is flying high, with flag carrier Saudia at the forefront of this growth. Inflight Editor Satu Dahl speaks with Saudia’s Chief Guest Experience Officer, Rossen Dimitrov, about the carrier’s unique onboard experience, route map expansion and future plans.
This article was published in the November/December 2025 edition of Inflight. To read more articles like this, apply for your complimentary subscription today.
With Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announcing in July record-breaking performance by the Saudi aviation sector and strategic progress for the first half of 2025, including substantial growth in passenger traffic and expanded connectivity, the Kingdom’s aviation industry is certainly building momentum.
According to GACA, Saudi airports handled more than 66 million passengers between January and June and a total of 463,800 flights operated during the first half of the year.
APEX World Class-rated Saudia, the flag carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is an integral part of Saudi Arabia aviation’s past, present and future. Established in 1945, the company has grown into one of the Middle East’s largest airlines.
Investing heavily in upgrading its aircraft and fine-tuning its passenger experience, the airline now serves a global route network covering around 100 destinations across four continents.
Growing travel demand across Saudi Arabia
Inflight spoke with Saudia’s Chief Guest Experience Officer, Rossen Dimitrov, to learn which destinations in Saudi Arabia are in most demand currently and which destinations are up and coming.
There is a lot of growth in both the domestic and the international market, he says, noting that just last year tourism grew by almost nine per cent to a new record level. “We had over 30 million visitors and the domestic travel itself actually rose by between five and seven per cent to around 87 million trips.”
Saudi Arabia’s aviation growth is not driven solely by leisure travel. Religious tourism, particularly for Hajj and Umrah, remains a crucial segment of Saudia’s operations.
Dimitrov says: “Each year we welcome thousands and thousands of visitors who travel for Hajj and Umrah. As an airline, I always feel we have the airline operation, which is the global operation to take Saudi Arabia to the world and bring the world to Saudi Arabia. But also, we have a Hajj and Umrah segment, which is extremely important to us – and it’s part of our DNA as well in Jeddah, as Saudia operates out of our Jeddah hub.”
Regarding Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030 – a major initiative that expands the country’s travel sector – Dimitrov says: “A lot of the targets that were set to be achieved over the next few years have been achieved already. This is really, really exciting for us to see.
“Over the last years, with the transformation in the Kingdom and the transformation of the airline, we’re no longer the airline that took Saudis from point A to point B and brought them back to Saudi Arabia. Now our mission is really to be a global carrier to fly the flag of Saudi Arabia and represent the Kingdom around the world.”
Dimitrov says a lot of people don’t know much about the Kingdom. “The beauty of that is that we can offer anything from water activities to shopping activities to being in the desert and going to lush mountains, and even experience snow. So it’s a very diverse country.”
He thinks the beauty of Saudi Arabia is the hospitality that is embedded in the DNA of its people, with Saudi people being very welcoming. The same applies to Saudia’s onboard passenger experience.
“When we talk about local hospitality and local essence, we really offer it. It’s not just words, because on board you have our Saudi crew, our Saudi chefs, on the ground you will see our Saudi team. So, when we talk about Saudi hospitality, it really comes from the heart and people can experience it first-hand.”
In October, Saudia launched new flights to Moscow from Riyadh and will be operating them three times a week. Dimitrov confirms that the airline continues to expand its network. “We will grow to around 145 to 150 destinations by 2030. We’re expecting to receive new aircraft, which will allow us really to expand our network beyond what it is today. In order to grow, you obviously need aircraft and, you know, there is a bit of a wait to get new aircraft.”
Dimitrov says the new aircraft orders and the massive investment into the new aircraft and cabin designs will really bring innovation in the cabin and the design. “There will be this new Saudia onboard experience, which we are already doing, but we will see more and more transformation over the next two years.”
Saudia unveils premium airline amenity kits designed with ELIE SAAB
“The beauty of ELIE SAAB is that they design global products, fashionable products, but always in their design you will still see an element embedded from Arabic culture.” Rosen Dimitrov, Chief Guest Experience Officer, Saudia
As Saudi Arabia continues its rapid transformation, national flag carrier Saudia is evolving alongside the Kingdom’s ambitions. The airline is placing exceptional emphasis on elevating the guest experience, aligning its service standards with global luxury expectations.
“Guest experience is really in our hearts and it’s very important,” says Dimitrov. “And it goes back to what I said already in terms of our hospitality. We really take a lot of pride in what we do.”
In April, Saudia introduced a new collection of First Class and Business Class amenity kits created in partnership with renowned fashion house ELIE SAAB and premium airline amenities provider Formia.
First Class amenity kits
- Female guests receive either a quilted faux-leather vanity case or a jewellery box-inspired design for outbound and inbound flights.
- Male guests are offered a pebble-grain faux leather voyager case featuring a side handle and detachable strap.
Business Class amenity kits
Both male and female passengers receive one of two exclusive bag designs tailored for their outbound and inbound journey.
The amenity kits contain a selection of ELIE SAAB skincare products, such as a revitalising face mist, hand and body lotion, and Eau de Toilette. Guests will also find toothbrushes, socks, and eye masks made from recycled materials, along with cosmetics and dental kits in FSC-certified paper.
Regarding how the partnership was formed, Dimitrov says ELIE SAAB is a global and well-known brand in the Kingdom.
“The beauty of ELIE SAAB is that they design global products, fashionable products, but always in their design you will still see an element embedded from Arabic culture. There’s always an element of design that really shows their origins.”
Dimitrov says this truly remarkable partnership is ELIE SAAB’s first with an airline, adding: “That couture collection really connects the Middle Eastern heritage with the global fashion world. You can see, even in their clothing, so much innovation, class and elegance, but again that Middle Eastern local heritage is somehow represented in the design, which is really important.”
Inside Saudia’s New In-Flight Entertainment Experience
Saudia has a long-standing partnership with in-flight entertainment company Anuvu and is constantly evolving its in-flight entertainment library by offering distinctive content while supporting the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 in tourism, sports, and cultural engagement.
Recent additions to the library include
an acclaimed sports podcast, Extra Time, which represents a new category of immersive storytelling that further diversifies the entertainment options, delivering in-depth interviews with football stars from both the international stage and the Saudi Pro League.
Earlier this year, Saudia added Apple TV+ content to the Middle East on BEYOND, bringing more than 100 episodes and 85 hours of critically acclaimed content on board, including Ted Lasso, The Morning Show and Severance.
BEYOND offers over 7,000 hours of high-definition content in 16 languages, from international cinema and documentaries to children’s programming and music.
Saudia recently added Arabic streaming platform Shahid’s exclusive content in BEYOND, and Dimitrov tells Inflight the feedback has been excellent.
“The initiative has really enriched our positioning and our programming,” he says. “Guest feedback has been absolutely outstanding and positive. Our content is very carefully tailored to a wide range of guest preferences and age groups. Looking at our local and global programming and entertainment, it really shows we’re trying to build that cultural bridge between what is local and what is global. It’s really interesting and it really shows our identity.”
Dimitrov says the partnership with Anuvu was established back in 2018 and has been a driving force in elevating Saudia’s in-flight entertainment.
“This year we celebrated major milestones together – 7,000 plus hours of onboard content, 1,000-plus movie titles, Hollywood, Arabic, and international films, close to 30,000 audio tracks, offering a rich soundscape for every guest.
“The partnership with Anuvu has been really important to us and I think it has been really fruitful for both sides.”
A Bright Future for Saudia: New Cabins and Digital Enhancements to Elevate Guest Experience
Dimitrov says Saudia will be unveiling the carrier’s new cabin design in the very near future, which will feature elegant cabins, fast connectivity and many other new products.
“We’ve done a lot of work in terms of the rebranding, in terms of what is important to our guests and what Saudia is really as a brand.
Saudia’s cabins offer a warm welcome, elegance and local essence. Image: Saudia
“We’re really proud of what we have been able to achieve in a very short time, transforming the airline.
“Under the guidance of His Excellency, the Director General, he has really allowed us to go above and beyond. And you know, he is someone who really supports change and transformation. There will be a lot of digital initiatives as well that you will see over the next year or so.
“We are all living, introducing and executing the vision of His Highness the Crown Prince and what the vision for Saudia is, and also what the Saudi people would like to see from the local airline. And that is our mission.
“We want to make sure that whatever we do, every product that we introduce will be something that the Kingdom is proud of, and the local Saudi people will be proud to say I’m flying my local airline.”
