Air India and Saudia signed a preliminary Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 23 July 2026 to expand their existing codeshare agreement and strengthen India-Saudi air connectivity. The pact sets out a phased approach to developing the partnership.
What the MoU covers for India-Saudi air connectivity
The partnership will focus on five key areas: expanding their existing codeshare agreement, improving connectivity across their respective networks, exploring the possibility of operating from shared terminals at common airports, examining cooperation between their loyalty programmes, and assessing further operational and commercial opportunities.
Why the partnership matters
Saudia Group Director General Ibrahim Al-Omar said, “India is an important market for Saudia , and Air India is a valued partner in strengthening travel links between our two countries. This partnership will offer guests greater choice, flexibility, and more seamless journeys across both networks as demand continues to grow.”
The airlines’ stated objective is to make travel across their networks more connected while creating additional scope for operational and commercial collaboration. The announcement does not specify how many routes, passengers or services could be affected.
What happens next
The MoU also allows the airlines to assess extending the partnership to other carriers in their respective groups, including flyadeal and Air India Express. The source does not provide a timeline for that assessment or confirm any expansion involving those airlines.
For now, the agreement is a framework for deeper cooperation rather than a detailed schedule of new services. The next meaningful signals will be specific codeshare additions, terminal decisions, loyalty programme terms, and confirmed commercial initiatives.
