Air India partners with Saudia for codeshare agreement, effective February – what should passengers expect?

Tata Group-owned airline Air India and Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, signed a codeshare agreement, which plans to introduce a range of benefits for the guests of both airlines. The agreement will take effect in February.

“Guests will enjoy streamlined booking and ticketing, smooth connections using a single itinerary, and baggage check-through to their final destination,” Air India said in a statement.

Through this partnership, the airlines aim to boost connectivity, enhance travel experience, strengthen network access, maximise flight options, and support growing demand across tourism, business travel, and wider guest segments.

What should passengers expect?

Passengers flying with Air India to Jeddah or Riyadh can easily connect to Saudia-operated flights to Dammam, Abha, Gassim, Gizan, Madinah, and Taif, the airline said.

The introduction of codeshare flights on the Jeddah-Riyadh route seeks to gives guests more flexibility to arrive in one city and depart from a different one. Additional connections to select international destinations will be introduced later this year.

The partnership will provide Saudia passengers with access to major cities across India, including Mumbai and Delhi, as well as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Kochi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Lucknow, Jaipur, and over 15 other destinations via interline services.

Air India CEO on partnership with Saudia

Speaking on the partnership, Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, said “Saudi Arabia is amongst our most important markets in the Middle East, with the country fast transforming into a major international gateway to the region. We are happy to be partnering with Saudia to provide greater access to the large Indian diaspora spread across Saudi Arabia as well as to open up the Kingdom’s rapidly evolving and diverse tourism offerings and remarkable destinations to holidaymakers from India.”

Meanwhile, H E Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of Saudia Group, said “The codeshare agreement with Air India marks a strategic step forward, given both airlines’ long histories and their shared commitment to increasing connectivity within their home markets and between their countries, while offering guests broader access to more destinations through simplified travel procedures that elevate the overall travel experience.”

He further added, “Saudia’s presence in India spans over 60 years, during which we’ve proudly served a wide range of guests and helped foster stronger ties between our two nations. Saudia Arabia is a great place to visit, and with seamless e-visas, stopover visas, and also visa-on-arrival for eligible Indian passport holders, it has never been easier to visit the Kingdom.”

Air India's codeshare agreements

Air India has 24 codeshare partnerships and nearly 100 interline agreements with airlines across the globe, aiming to offer travellers access to over 800 destinations worldwide.