Saudia Launches Dar Es Salaam Flights With The Airbus A320

Saudia has set off on its first flight to Tanzania, operating its first serving from Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) to Dar es Salaam Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR). This is just one part of Saudia’s strategy to connect Saudi Arabia to the world.

Operated by an Airbus A320, the carrier plans to optimize the use of its fleet days after announcing its plans to introduce up to 25 new destinations on three continents.

Four weekly flights

The carrier has confirmed it plans to operate four weekly flights to Tanzania’s biggest city on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Saudia will operate the below schedule:

• SV463, departing from Jeddah Airport (JED) at 01:15, arriving at Dar es Salaam Airport (DAR) at 06:20, with a flight time of 4 hours and 30 minutes.
• SV462, departing from Dar es Salaam (DAR) at 07:25, arriving at Jeddah (JED) at noon, with a flight time of 4 hours and 35 minutes.

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A ribbon-cutting ceremony was celebrated at Jeddah before the flight’s first take-off, and souvenirs were offered to the inaugural passengers. The first flight pushed back on Sunday, March 26th, operated by the carrier’s 180-seat, 11-year-old Airbus A320, registration HZ-ASF, sporting the Skyteam livery.

A celebration also occurred in the Alfursan International Lounge at Jeddah airport, with Mr Habibu Awesi Mohamed, the Consul General of the Republic of Tanzania in Jeddah, with Mr Arved Nikolaus Von Zur Muhlen, Chief Commercial Officer of SAUDIA, and other government representatives present.

Muhlen noted in a statement,

“The expansion of SAUDIA’s operations and the launch of new direct flights to Dar es Salaam strengthen the relations between the Kingdom and the United Republic of Tanzania and will provide a seamless experience for Hajj and Umrah guests from Tanzania.

“In alignment with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 objective of increasing the number of visitors to Saudi Arabia, international expansion is vital to help achieve that goal. SAUDIA is continuously working to reach new destinations and improve guests’ experiences.”

A water salute in Tanzania

On arrival at Dar Es Salaam, SV463 was greeted with a traditional water salute while a range of government and airline representatives attended another celebration for SV462’s imminent departure.

As reported by The Citizen, international travelers increased by 55% in 2022 compared to 2021, rising from 1.6 million to over 2.6 million, per Tanzanian Works and Transport minister Makame Mbarawa.

Photo: Vytautas Kielaitis / Shutterstock

Saudia’s new connection will become the airline’s 14th destination in Africa, with a direct service now shaving up to 4 hours from previous connections required through Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD) with Ethiopian Airlines or Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH) with Qatar Airways.

Other significant international operations at Dar es Salaam Julius Nyerere International Airport include Air France to Paris, Air Tanzania to Guangzhou and Mumbai, and Turkish Airlines to Istanbul are just a range of connections on offer. Now, Saudia’s joins the list.

Sources: The Citizen