State-backed Saudia is exploring the opportunity for a US immigration preclearance facility at its hub as the national carrier seeks to ease transatlantic flights and expand its partnership with Delta Air Lines.
The Jeddah-based carrier has a codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines, one of the largest US airlines, and has discussed this potential opportunity with its partner, Arved von zur Muehlen, Saudia's chief commercial officer, told The National on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.
“We would love to have the immigration preclearance so that our guests can pre-clear the immigration in Saudi and fly to the US and don't have to go through immigration on the other end,” he said.
“We understand it takes time to develop this and there are many hurdles we have to undertake, but we work with our government partners in Saudi, and on the other side, all together on the project … We talked to Delta about this and they are very helpful.”
The preclearance centre allows passengers to complete immigration checks before they fly to the US. The UAE is the only country in the Middle East and one of just six nations globally where travellers can go through customs before arriving in the US. The others are Ireland, Aruba, the Bahamas, Canada and Bermuda.
The US Customs and Border Protection (US CBP) preclearance centre is open at Zayed International Airport (AUH), enabling Etihad Airways flights to US destinations including Boston, Chicago, New York and Washington DC. The US border post in Abu Dhabi has handed the local carrier an advantage over rivals as it helps cut long immigration queues in crowded US airports.
Saudia signed the codeshare pact with Delta Air Lines in October last year and the move is a “game-changer for us and really gives us the opportunity to widen the co-operation with Delta now”, Mr Muehlen said.
Under the agreement, Saudia passengers can fly to 12 destinations in the US beyond Delta’s hubs at JFK and Los Angeles airports. Delta passengers will gain access to nine destinations in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East beyond the cities of Jeddah and Riyadh.
“The Delta code is now also flying into Saudi, and that is a good first step, and I think it's something we can build on jointly,” he said.
Saudia, which recorded a 9 per cent year-on-year increase in passenger volumes of nine million travellers in the first quarter of 2025, is “quite bullish” on summer travel demand, Mr Muehlen said.
“The development is good but we always have to be mindful and nimble because market conditions can also change very quickly,” he said. “But at the moment we foresee a very decent year for 2025 in terms of passenger growth.”
The airline, as it adds more routes, expects a 5 per cent to 8 per cent increase in passenger numbers over the 35 million it carried last year.
However, capacity growth will be constrained as it is scheduled to take delivery of a handful of narrow-body jets and must rely on improving aircraft utilisation, he said.
It plans to upgrade some routes with three to four weekly flights into daily frequencies, while exploring growth opportunities in India, South-east Asia and parts of Africa, he added.
Aircraft retrofit programme
The airline plans to undertake an aircraft retrofitting programme in which 15,000 seats will be upgraded across its fleet of aircraft. The seat upgrade will start in late 2025 and continue until late 2027, it said.
“We are putting in business class suites in most of our planes, and especially on the narrow-bodies,” Mr Muehlen said.
“Premium demand is strong, it is still fluctuating, but in general we see a positive trend.”
Demand for seats in the front of the cabin is coming from leisure travellers, not just corporate flyers, a trend that continued to evolve after the pandemic, he added.
Comment on Coronavirus
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Company Profile
Company name: Fine Diner
Started: March, 2020
Co-founders: Sami Elayan, Saed Elayan and Zaid Azzouka
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and food delivery
Initial investment: Dh75,000
Investor: Dtec Startupbootcamp
Future plan: Looking to raise $400,000
Total sales: Over 1,000 deliveries in three months
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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UAE and Russia in numbers
UAE-Russia ties stretch back 48 years
Trade between the UAE and Russia reached Dh12.5 bn in 2018
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The number of Russian tourists travelling to the UAE will increase to 12 percent to reach 1.6 million in 2023
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The flights: South African Airways flies from Dubai International Airport with a stop in Johannesburg, with prices starting from around Dh4,000 return. Emirates can get you there with a stop in Lusaka from around Dh4,600 return.
The details: Visas are available for 247 Zambian kwacha or US$20 (Dh73) per person on arrival at Livingstone Airport. Single entry into Victoria Falls for international visitors costs 371 kwacha or $30 (Dh110). Microlight flights are available through Batoka Sky, with 15-minute flights costing 2,265 kwacha (Dh680).
Accommodation: The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Hotel by Anantara is an ideal place to stay, within walking distance of the falls and right on the Zambezi River. Rooms here start from 6,635 kwacha (Dh2,398) per night, including breakfast, taxes and Wi-Fi. Water arrivals cost from 587 kwacha (Dh212) per person.
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
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Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
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Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
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Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
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The specs: 2018 Audi Q5/SQ5
Price, base: Dh183,900 / Dh249,000
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder / 3.0L, turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic / Eight-speed automatic
Power: 252hp @ 5,000rpm / 354hp @ 5,400rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,600rpm / 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy: combined 7.2L / 100km / 8.3L / 100km
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
MATCH INFO
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Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
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Assists: 31
Wins: 117
Losses: 33
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Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
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