Delta Air Lines has signed a code-share marketing agreement with Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, as it expands its partnerships in the Middle Eastern nation.
Atlanta-based Delta said the deal is aimed at adding connectivity to nine destinations in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, connecting through Saudia’s hubs in Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Saudia and Delta have applied for government approvals for code-sharing, which allows an airline to put its code on a flight operated by another airline and sell tickets for that flight.
That would expand on the two airlines’ partnership through the SkyTeam global airline alliance and their existing interline agreement, which allows passengers to connect between flights on the two carriers.
The deal with Saudia comes just months after Delta inked a separate partnership with an upstart airline in the kingdom, Riyadh Air, and shows how the Middle East is emerging as a strategic priority for Delta.
More than a decade ago, Delta became a target of online criticism after announcing Saudi Arabian Airlines, the carrier now known as Saudia, would join its SkyTeam global airline alliance. The criticism in 2011 came after reports of restrictions on travel to Saudi Arabia for Israelis and others including those “carrying any non-Islamic article of faith.” Delta emphasized then that visa requirements for entry to any country were dictated by that nation’s government and not the airlines.
Delta also said at the time that it would not code-share with Saudi Arabian Airlines. Since then, Saudi Arabia has developed plans to invest $800 billion in its tourism sector, including developing luxury resorts on the Red Sea, to diversify its economy and turn itself into a tourism hub.
Perry Cantarutti, Delta’s senior vice president of alliances at Delta, said in a written statement that strengthening the partnership with Saudia “responds to customer demand for more travel choice between the (Persian) Gulf and North America.”
“Saudia’s growing Jeddah hub and extensive network bring Delta customers closer to greater access to destinations across one of the world’s most important economic regions,” he said.
The announcement of a Delta-Saudia code-share come after Delta in July announced a strategic cooperation agreement with Riyadh Air, a Saudi Arabian airline startup that plans to start flying in 2025. Delta also plans to eventually launch nonstop flights to Riyadh.
There are significant restrictions in Saudi Arabia that affect tourists, including restrictions on alcohol, dress, criticism of Islam (including on social media), public practice of religions other than Islam and mingling of unmarried men and women, according to the U.S. State Department.
Saudia Chief Commercial Officer Arved Von Zur Muehlen said in a written statement that the partnership with Delta opens “new possibilities for commercial and tourism relations.”
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