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Saudi Arabian Airlines Launches Beta Version of 'Ahlan Wasahlan' Online Magazine

Saudi Arabian Airlines Launches Beta Version of 'Ahlan Wasahlan' Online Magazine
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Saudi Arabian Airlines Launches Beta Version of 'Ahlan Wasahlan' Online Magazine

Saudi Arabian Airlines Launches Beta Version of 'Ahlan Wasahlan' Online Magazine

Saudi Arabian Airlines, Saudia, launched on Saturday the online beta version of its "Ahlan Wasahlan" magazine, which is available to guests on all its domestic and international flights. Access has been expanded, and anyone can now browse the magazine online, at any time and from anywhere.

This step comes as an extension of a 15-year partnership between Saudia and the Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG), which are jointly publishing the magazine.

Khaled Tash, head of marketing in the Saudi Airlines Group, indicated that the site is part of an ambitious plan to develop the magazine in 2022.

"We aim to transform Ahlan Wasahlan into a digital platform that enhances the exposure and marketing of the Kingdom’s cultural and touristic attractions. The platform will use various digital solutions and provide interactive digital services," he said.

He added that Saudia "will work, in the coming months, to cooperate and coordinate with all concerned parties, as well as experts and specialists in the fields of media, culture and tourism. It will take their opinions and suggestions into consideration, to build various partnerships and to develop ideas for the content, publishing techniques, and innovative services."

Since its launch in 1977, Ahlan Wasahlan, in all its 492 issues, has showcased the extraordinary developments unfolding in Saudi Arabia, providing crucial information about the Kingdom’s rich heritage and giving valuable guidance about its touristic destinations in order to help travelers make the best use of their visits.

SRMG Labs, the group’s technology and digital platform developer, has finished developing the online version of Ahlan Wasahlan.

Saudia has invited readers and guests to check the new website and submit their comments and suggestions online.

This step comes as part of the ambitious transformation strategy of the Saudi national carrier, Wings of Vision 2030, as Saudi Airlines seeks to contribute to achieving the Kingdom’s goals at all levels, among the most important of which are the transport, tourism and culture sectors by 2030.

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Varieties

Air Pollution from Fires Linked to 1.5 Million Deaths a Year

The study was released a week after Ecuador declared a national emergency due to forest fires. Galo Paguay / AFP/File
The study was released a week after Ecuador declared a national emergency due to forest fires. Galo Paguay / AFP/File
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Air Pollution from Fires Linked to 1.5 Million Deaths a Year

The study was released a week after Ecuador declared a national emergency due to forest fires. Galo Paguay / AFP/File
The study was released a week after Ecuador declared a national emergency due to forest fires. Galo Paguay / AFP/File

Air pollution caused by fires is linked to more than 1.5 million deaths a year worldwide, the vast majority occurring in developing countries, a major new study said on Thursday.
This death toll is expected to rise in the coming years as climate change makes wildfires more frequent and intense, according to the study in The Lancet journal.
The international team of researchers looked at existing data on "landscape fires", which include both wildfires that rage through nature and planned fires such as controlled burns on farming land.
Around 450,000 deaths a year from heart disease were linked to fire-related air pollution between 2000 and 2019, the researchers said.
A further 220,000 deaths from respiratory disease were attributed to the smoke and particulates spewed into the air by fire, AFP said.
From all causes around the world, a total of 1.53 million annual deaths were associated with air pollution from landscape fires, according to the study.
More than 90 percent of these deaths were in low and middle-income countries, it added, with nearly 40 percent in sub-Saharan Africa alone.
The countries with the highest death tolls were China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Indonesia, and Nigeria.
A record amount of illegal burning of farm fields in northern India has been partly blamed for noxious smog that has recently been choking the capital New Delhi.
The authors of the Lancet study called for "urgent action" to address the huge death toll from landscape fires.
The disparity between rich and poor nations further highlights "climate injustice", in which those who have contributed the least to global warming suffer from it the most, they added.
Some of the ways people can avoid smoke from fires -- such as moving away from the area, using air purifiers and masks, or staying indoors -- are not available to people in poorer countries, the researchers pointed out.
So they called for more financial and technological support for people in the hardest-hit countries.
The study was released a week after UN climate talks where delegates agreed to a boost in climate funding that developing countries slammed as insufficient.
It also came after Ecuador declared a national emergency over forest fires that have razed more than 10,000 hectares in the country's south.
The world has also been battered by hurricanes, droughts, floods and other extreme weather events during what is expected to be the hottest year in recorded history.