Saudia signs wide-ranging agreement with Boeing to kickstart civil and defence partnerships

Saudi Arabian Airlines(Saudia) has signed a collaboration agreement with American manufacturer Boeing that could see it developing partnership activities in the field of defence as well as in its commercial operations.
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The two organisations signed the broad collaboration agreement yesterday and in a statement said they will explore areas of cooperation in pilot and aircraft maintenance training, rotorcraft support, management and leadership training and manufacturing focused on the expansion of local presence and aerospace skill development in country. .

“We are pleased to sign this collaboration agreement with Boeing to support the transformation process Saudia is going through, and hope both Saudia and Boeing will get the anticipated commercial, economic and social benefits out of such collaboration,” said Khalid Almolhem, saudia's director general.

 

Boeing's relationship with Saudia has spread over 70 years

“This agreement builds on the well-established relationship between Boeing and Saudia and will enable us to enter into some exciting future business ventures,” said Jim O’Neill, president, Global Services & Support, Boeing Defense, Space & Security. “We look forward to collaborating with Saudia and expanding our training and service offerings for our customers.”

Key to the agreement is the development of human resource and in-country work programmes. "“It will bring together the expertise of our companies and is aligned with our efforts to further strengthen and grow the local industry in the Kingdom,” said Ahmed Jazzar, president of Boeing Saudi Arabia. “Boeing’s relationship with Saudia has spanned decades, and today we have come together to forge a path that will generate benefits for our companies and the people of Saudi Arabia for generations to come.”

 

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between Boeing and Saudi Arabia 

The partnership between Saudia and Boeing began nearly 70 years ago with a gift of a DC-3 Dakota to the Kingdom and the company already has a track record of working closely with its civil and defense partners in Saudi Arabia to bring innovative new technologies and cutting edge knowledge to the Kingdom.

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