New Saudia–Air India codeshare adds access to 25 Indian cities

Saudia has signed a codeshare agreement with Air India, effective February 2026, strengthening air links on the Saudi Arabia–India corridor and giving Saudia customers access to more than 25 Indian destinations via Mumbai and Delhi.

 

These include key commercial and leisure centres such as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Kochi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Lucknow and Jaipur, expanding feed from Tier 1 and Tier 2 Indian cities into Saudi’s major hubs. For trade partners, integrated schedules and through-ticketing are expected to simplify itinerary planning and improve journey times across the combined network. 

 

The partnership targets rising demand from business travellers, the Indian diaspora and leisure segments, supporting Saudi’s wider tourism growth plans.

 

Inbound to Saudi Arabia, Air India customers will gain improved access beyond Jeddah and Riyadh to domestic destinations including Dammam, Abha, Gassim, Gizan, Madinah and Taif, encouraging wider dispersal of tourism and corporate travel across the kingdom. Codeshare services on the high-demand Jeddah–Riyadh route will also allow passengers to arrive in one gateway and depart from another, encouraging multi-city itineraries across the kingdom.

 

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The airlines plan to expand the partnership to select international routes at a later stage, adding further connectivity without the immediate need for additional capacity. This creates new opportunities for the trade to package Saudi with onward connections, particularly for corporate and VFR traffic flows.

 

HE Engr Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of Saudia Group, noted that the partnership coincides with the kingdom’s push to simplify travel for Indian visitors. He highlighted the availability of seamless e-visas, stopover visas and visa-on-arrival options for eligible Indian passport holders, adding that “it has never been easier to visit the Kingdom". 

 

​​Saudi is also preparing to roll out a new digital visa platform, Visa by Profile, enabling eligible Visa cardholders to obtain an e-tourist visa within minutes using only passport and card details, supporting efforts to attract high-spending visitors. 

 

This latest codeshare agreement follows Saudia’s recent announcement of a new direct service between Riyadh and Kozhikode on India’s west coast, launching on 1 February 2026. The route will open convenient access to the coastal city’s historic piers, scenic beaches and verdant landscapes.

 

Kozhikode becomes Saudia’s seventh destination in India, joining Bangalore, Cochin, Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Mumbai.

 

For more information, visit saudia.com