The flag carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabian Airline (Saudia) operates domestic and international scheduled flights to more than 70 destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. The airline also flies domestic and international charter flights, mostly during Ramadan and the Hajj season. While the airline’s main operational base is at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, other major hubs are Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. At the end of 2013, Saudia achieved the highest rate in passenger transportation, carrying 25.24 million passengers on 177,435 flights with an average on-time performance of 90.46 percent. Saudia aims to build a strong hub in Jeddah while tapping a large domestic market that leading Persian Gulf airports in Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi lack. Of the 25 million passengers carried by Saudia last year, around 15 million were at 27 domestic airports, which is expected to almost double by the end of the decade. Earlier this year, Saudi Arabian Airlines signed a 7 billion-riyal ($1.87 billion) loan deal to fund plane deliveries as a part of its fleet modernization plans and focus on international routes. The airline boasts of a varied mix of aircraft. Its fleet comprises of more than 100 aircraft including the Airbuses 320, 321 and 330; Boeings 747-400, 774-300, 777-300ER and 777-200 and the Embraer170. In 2013, Saudia achieved one of its major strategic goals by shifting to Amadeus Passenger Revenue Accounting, thus becoming the first airline in the world to receive the system from Amadeus. A member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization, the airline joined the SkyTeam alliance in 2012. Once the largest carrier in the region, the airline has now become the third largest, behind Emirates and Qatar Airways due to the growth of other airports. The freight arm of the airline called Saudia Cargo operates a fleet of more than 15 freighters and sells the belly-capacity on 145 passenger aircraft for the carrier, spanning a rapidly expanding global network of 225 destinations. In addition to its scheduled freighter services, the cargo airline also provides cost-effective and practical worldwide charter flight solutions from a growing fleet of dedicated charter aircraft. Saudi Airlines Cargo has grown significantly over recent years, both in terms of its belly capacity as part of the Saudia fleet on the passenger side and its own freighter capacity. This growth has resulted in increased frequencies to existing destinations as well as new routes to several destinations across the globe. The airline continues to invest in new products, having recently launched Pharma.2.World Active, a high-tech solution used to maintain temperatures of pharmaceutical and life science products during transport, as well as other innovative solutions such as the OK2GO online tool and the electronic air waybill (e-AWB). Saudia Cargo’s reputation for reliability, adherence to the highest international standards and commitment to cost-effective solutions has won it numerous industry awards and the airline continues to perform well despite the difficult economic climate.