Based in the second largest and the economic capital city of Jeddah, the Saudi Arabian Airlines is the national carrier of Saudi Arabia. It operates both domestic and international scheduled flights to over 70 destinations worldwide including the Middle East, Asia, Africa, North America, Far East and Europe.

The development of the national carrier started in 1945 when the then US president Franklin Roosevelt presented a DC-3 aircraft to Saudi Arabian King Abdul Aziz ibn Saud as a gift. This marked the start of the kingdom's development of civil aviation, with the Saudi Arabian Airlines being founded in 1946. The SA is a fully owned government agency.

Apart from scheduled flights, SA also operates chartered flights, especially during Ramadhan and Hajj seasons. The main airport hubs are the newly built King Fahd International Airport (DMM) in Dammam, King Khalid International Airport (RUH) in the capital Riyadh and the

King Abdul Aziz International Airport (JED) in the economic city of Jeddah, which is also the SA's operation base. The airport is the second largest in the Middle East after Emirates Airlines.

SA has witnessed a steady growth since its inception. The initial flight services were to Istanbul, Amman, Asmara, Kuwait, karachi and Port Sudan. DC-4s and Convair 340's aircrafts were used. The airline received its first two Boeing 720 in 1962, becoming the seccond airline to fly jets after Cyprus Airways.

SA became a fully independent registered company in 1963 and immmediately acquired fleets of DC-6s and Boeing 707s. It joined the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO) and opened new routes to Rabat, Tunis, Tripoli, Khartoum (Africa), Sharja, Tehran, Geneva, Frankfurt and London.

The 1970's saw further developments by SA. With a change of name from Saudi Airlines to Saudia and the purchase of Boeing 737 and 747 fleet, Saudia was on its way to becoming one of the major airlines in the world. All-cargo flights were inagurated using Lochheed L-1011s and Fairchild FH-27s between Saudi Arabia and Europe, giving business people an opportunity to expand their businesses. This period also saw joint services between Pan Am and Saudia airlines with flights between Dhahran city and New York city. Other services started were special flights for the Royal family and government officials and additional routes to Rome, Paris, Kano and Stockholm in Germany.

The 1980s period saw inaguration of new routes to Athens, Nairobi, Madrid, Islamabad, Seoul, Lahore, Colombo, Baghdad, Amsterdam, Nice, Brussels and other cities. The airline developed its cargo hubs in Brussels and Taipei, greatly improving on its cargo revenue. The airline acquired additional fllet which included Airbus A300s, Fokker F-28s and Cessna Citations for the Royal family and government officials. This period also saw the inaguration of Saudia catering, an arm of the airline that specifically dealt with catering issues.

2006 saw Saudia embark on an ambitious privatization process, with the airline being divided into several strategic business units (SBU). These business units were later transformed into companies. The catering unit was the first to be privatised, becoming a major catering company serving both the airline's and private needs.