عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Business

Saudia, Riyadh Air Sign Strategic Memorandum of Cooperation

Saudia and Riyadh Air announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding as part of a comprehensive agreement. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudia and Riyadh Air announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding as part of a comprehensive agreement. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
TT

Saudia, Riyadh Air Sign Strategic Memorandum of Cooperation

Saudia and Riyadh Air announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding as part of a comprehensive agreement. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudia and Riyadh Air announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding as part of a comprehensive agreement. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudia and Riyadh Air announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding as part of a comprehensive agreement that includes operating flights using the shared code system, within joint efforts to better serve Saudi Arabia’s vision and ambitions in the aviation sector.

In a statement on Tuesday, the two companies said the MoU was the first major agreement between the carriers, and would lay solid foundations for a range of bilateral initiatives and agreements in the future.

In addition to enhancing the aviation sector in the Kingdom, this cooperation provides a comprehensive and diverse package of benefits for passengers travelling internationally and domestically within Saudi Arabia, including a broader range of destinations and services.

As part of the agreement, passengers on both carriers will be able to benefit from a wide range of advantages, explore code-share services and follow flights.

The deal will see the merging of the two carriers’ loyalty program so that travelers will be able to earn points or credits when traveling on code-share services operated by one of the two carriers.

Saudia CEO Capt. Ibrahim Koshy said: “We are very proud to form this strategic partnership with Riyadh Air, a cooperation that we consider to be an important turning point in the process of supporting the aviation sector. We are working to unify efforts to serve guests to and from the Kingdom, and we continue to move forward to achieve our ambitions to make a positive change in the aviation sector in general.”

Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas stated: “Riyadh Air and Saudia will play a significant part in the growth of travel tourism within the Kingdom and so having the national carriers working side-by-side is the best way to accelerate and manage this growth.”

He continued: “We are confident that Riyadh Air will raise the bar in air travel and working in cooperation with Saudia will help us achieve this as we prepare for take-off in 2025.”

Most Viewed

 
 
Business

Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)

Severe wildfire seasons are increasingly hurting western Canada's lucrative tourism industry, with some visitors beginning to avoid the busy late-summer months due to concerns about uncontrolled blazes, smoke-filled skies and road closures.

After a scorching start to July, nearly 600 wildfires are now ablaze across British Columbia and Alberta, including a huge fire that this week devastated the picturesque tourist town of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies.

Dozens of communities, including popular holiday spots in British Columbia's Kootenay region, are under evacuation orders and several highways are closed.

This year's surge in wildfire activity comes after Canada endured its worst-ever year for wildfires in 2023, when more than 15 million hectares (37 million acres) burned, including parts of the city of West Kelowna in the heart of British Columbia's wine region.

Ellen Walker-Matthews, head of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, said the industry was seeing a lot more last-minute travel decisions instead of booking in advance.

"It's a huge blow. July and August are traditionally the busiest months in the region," said Walker-Matthews, adding that while her region has been relatively unscathed by wildfires this summer, some visitors are choosing to avoid interior British Columbia altogether.

The members of the British Columbia Lodging and Campgrounds Association are reporting a 5-15% drop in bookings from a year ago, with the biggest declines coming from the hotter Okanagan and Cariboo regions, said Joss Penny, who heads the association.

"The concern is that this is something we have to live with and we have it every year now," said Penny.

Although wildfires in Canada's forests are natural and common, scientists say drier, hotter conditions fueled by climate change are leading to more volatile and frequent blazes.

'SMOKEY SKIES'

Some events, like the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival, usually held in August, have now been rescheduled to earlier in the summer to avoid what is now seen as peak smoke season. The festival, which was cancelled last year due to nearby wildfires, was this year moved to July to benefit from "less smokey skies."

Wildfires and extreme climatic events are prompting tourists to "change their plans not just temporarily, but permanently," said Elizabeth Halpenny, a tourism researcher and professor at the University of Alberta, noting that seasonal workers in the sector are often the hardest hit as they have few protections during a bad season or amid a cataclysmic fire.

Tourism contributed C$7.2 billion to the British Columbia economy in 2022, and C$9.9 billion to Alberta in 2023, according to the latest government data.

Jasper National Park is one of Canada's premier tourist destinations, with more than 2 million visitors a year flocking to see its pristine mountain landscapes and abundant wildlife, including grizzly bears, moose and elk.

Kelly Torrens, vice-president of product at international tour company Kensington Tours, described western Canada as a bucket-list destination. But the company now has 49 trips that were supposed to pass through Jasper this season in limbo. Six others were forced to evacuate the park when the fire hit.

Parks Canada has cancelled all camping reservations within Jasper National Park until Aug. 6 and with potentially 50% of the town's structures destroyed by fire, the cleanup and rebuild could take years.

Halpenny is among those hedging their bets.

"I've booked a campsite stay in the mountain parks but at the same time, I booked a campsite out on the prairie somewhere and that's my backup plan because I don't want to miss out on my vacation with my family."