Category: Jeddah

Saudia Airlines Saudia Airlines started its journey in 1945, and the first plane was gifted to King Abdul Aziz. The plane DC-3 was gifted by the 32nd US President Franklin Roosevelt to King Abdul Aziz in 1945. The President was returning from the Yalta Conference and on his way back met with regional leaders of the Middle East. The journey of Saudia began in 1946, initially set up as “an operating agency of the Ministry of Defense”. Saudia’s first airport was at Kandhara.  The founding of SAUDI was announced in September 1946 and its emblem was adopted. The emblem (logo) showed its affiliation with the Ministry of Defense. The first flight of Saudi Arabian Airlines (SDI) began on October 28th, 1946 took off to Lad airport, Palestine to pick up pilgrims from the Lebanese capital Beirut. It was a matter of astonishment as where journey took about 60 days and was shortened to several hours. Saudi Arabian Airlines became an independent company in 1963 after papers were signed by King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz. After nearly a decade Saudi Arabian Airlines was renamed to Saudia. (1972). I always used to wonder as a kid why the two names. To many from Middle Eastern and Asian companies, Saudia is not just an airline but an emotional bond that exists.  I was surprised to see the same statement from the Director General of Saudia. “The name and logo of Saudia are integral parts of the Kingdom’s aviation history and development, and our people share a special emotional connection with the brand. We have incorporated this rich heritage into our new identity, adding elements that reflect our visionary approach, poised to captivate the world.”                              -Ibrahim Omar, Director General, Saudia. The first time I came across Saudia was in the 1980s. That was one of the coolest times to be in Saudi Arabia. The King Abdul Aziz Airport opened in 1981 and had an attractive look at that time. I was in grade 2 after the school holidays I went to visit the ‘New Airport” with my dad. It was a feeling of happiness as I climbed up walking. The Design was captivating as well was my 1st introduction to an automated lift or escalator.  After a month or so, our family would go to the Airport (KAIA) to use its services. We would travel by Saudia Airlines to meet our family in Dhaka. The excitement, and happiness that was felt could not be described in words. Whenever we thought of KAIA it was because we were leaving for our home country. School Mate in Saudia The happiness that one of school seniors was CEO of Saudia Airlines. Captian Ibrahim Koshy. This gentleman now is doing things by his own,related to investment. The attraction of Saudia was not just the Airport and airlines but also Saudia city.He has done much for Saudi Airlines . Five years senior to me in school.(Manarat Jeddah). Captain Ibrahim Koshy is a prominent figure in the global aviation industry, known for his steady leadership and decades of experience. Beginning his journey as a pilot in 1991, he accumulated over 10,000 flight hours before rising through key operational and safety roles. OLd Airport . Saudia City Saudia City was built originally for the employees of Saudi Arabia Airlines. The scenery and ambiance were totally different from those outside the compound. It has about 3000 units with 10,000-12,000 residents living there. Outsiders had to show iqamas plus know a friend in Saudia City to enter. The compound was so beautiful and we are talking about it in the 1980s. Most of the Residents were from America, the UK, and Europe with some from the Indian subcontinent and Middle East. The facilities in the compound were as follows: It was a secure life with diverse friends and women would be dressed in regular clothes without the need of a veil. Nowadays (2023) it might not appear so special but in the 1980s, the compound was spectacular in Jeddah. So many people can relate to the Saudia City compound as they grew up there. At that time there was no internet, and kids did was play extracurricular activities like playing football, basketball, and going cycling. The bond between those who lived in Saudia City was special and much stronger as opposed to others who lived outside the compound. I remember visiting in 1985 and was surprised to play football in the evening since there was floodlights. One resident (past) puts it: I lived in Saudi City from 1988-to 2005 and my father worked for Saudi Airlines for the Saudi Royal hanger as an inspection engineer and went to school at the Pakistan Embassy school aziziyah had a lot of friends most of them Pakistani and Indian yes sir those were the golden days which will never come back again and also whenever i pass by that compound tears come in my eyes and with lots of memories like and if i get an opportunity get a job in Saudi Airlines I will live in the same villa were i grew up in which NE area. -Tariq Durrani, hybidcamel.com. src __ Saudia tragedies Like other airlines tragedies did strike Saudia. The most famous being Saudia Flight 163 where the airplane landed but caught fire. They could not be evacuated. All passengers died in the accident. May Almighty have mercy on them. This happened on 19th August, 1980. A very sad incident which I am not going to discuss here as it really pains me. (A family friend’s brother died in this accident). YouTube link: A remake of the incident. Documentary link. Website link. Website 2 link. Ahlan Wasahlan magazine It was an inflight magazine and we passengers looked forward to the complimentary inflight magazine though it got boring sometimes as not very good writers wrote there. Saudia could think of writing interesting stories by good content writers. These inflight magazines are sold now in eBay. It had stories of various destinations in Saudia Arabia and other countries and was interesting to read. … Continue reading “Saudia Airlines :Saudia”

Jeddah is a port city located in Saudi Arabia. The city is close to the Red Sea. The temperature by Saudi Arabian standards was lukewarm in’ the city of Saudi. I Makkah, Madina, and Taif for example were hot in the summer. The other thing is these cities were more restrictive relatively in religious clothing and other cultural norms. The period I talk about is the 80’s. The Good Old 80s’ was the best quote I could find from the A-Team” serial.It goes like this:“Hey I thought you were Amish.” This is in reference to an episode involving A Team and Amish people.The response was:“Hey Man, This is the 80s” Balad-Old City section in Jeddah Balad was founded in the 7th Century and supposed to have defensive walls which were torn down in 1940s.   Life in 1980s in Jeddah The 80s was a very good time in Saudi Arabia.  We went to Jeddah in 1977 and I was really young. I mean by the time I figured out where about who am I, the country or location it was Jeddah. The roads in our area were not completely built and were dusty. I remember African ladies called “Hajja” selling Gold coins on the street. They literally sold gold on the streets. Once the adhan (Muslim Prayer) was called, they left their stuff on the floor and covered it. Then they left for prayers. Yes, they left valuable possessions like gold on the street and left for prayers. ! I am not kidding since I was there.   The society there was an Islamic utopian society and in simple terms, it was like: See No Evil Hear No Evil Say No    Evil In the whole 13 years I lived, as far as I remember I heard of 4-5 cases of theft and other crimes. There were no thieves, no burglary no kidnapping and you could move any time in the night without fear. Gazzaz was a luxury brand that connected with Saudis and foreigners as a quality brand. Mainly a perfume brand started by  Hussein Gazzaz, who died in 2014 , at age 95. Gazzaz brand was started ib 1949 approx , a dream what late Hussein saw in streets of Cairo in the thirties.  Good old times and the feeling too. Visit us in Face Book. Facebook The Koreans built the roads. That’s true Koreans built the roads in Jeddah, and I am saying from memory. Later on Chinese and others might have bought, and I cannot remember. There were sweepers from the City Corporation and they were called “Baladia”. These guys were suits. In those Saudis were the distinguished and did not work in blue-collar jobs but only in important jobs, white-collar jobs, or heads of businesses. I think they were getting subsidies. Saudis prefer to work in the universities and get jobs there. They respected doctors and engineers. Doctors and Engineers and working for King Abdul Aziz University (KAAU) meant that person had immunity in comparison to other blue-collar job holders. The laws were strict and in accordance with Shariah (Islamic Law.).