Malaysia Airlines adds Saudia as second Middle East airline partner

Malaysia Airlines has entered into a codeshare agreement with Saudia, its second airline partnership in the Middle East. The agreement, which began on 15 December, will see the Southeast Asian carrier add its code to Saudia’s flights from Kuala Lumpur to Jeddah and Riyadh, and onward from the two cities to Madinah and Cairo. Saudia’s code will in turn be added on Malaysia Airlines-operated flights from Kuala Lumpur to Australia, as well as within Malaysia.<br/>Malaysia Airlines chief Izham Ismail says: “We are delighted to welcome Saudia as our new codeshare partner to leverage each other’s network, allowing two full-service carriers to expand their operations to South East Asia and Australia as well as the Middle East respectively. This partnership will strengthen Malaysia Airlines’ presence in Saudi Arabia and build upon a strong relationship between the two carriers.” The Oneworld carrier already has a strategic partnership with fellow alliance member Qatar Airways, first announced in May this year. It also increased frequencies to Doha, operating twice daily flights to the Qatari capital.<br/>