The national carrier has always been on the forefront playing a vital role in the Saudi economy; employing thousands, spearheading training programs and investing billions in facilitating the flow of people to and fro to The Kingdom.
It is without a doubt, an inevitable part of the Saudi growth story, having its roots all the way back in 1945. Here are some interesting facts about it.
![9 Interesting Facts About The Kingdom’s Flag Carrier - Saudia 3 Photo Credit: washingtonpost.com](http://destinationksa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/imrs.jpg)
1. It all started when U.S. President Roosevelt gifted a single Douglas DC-3 aircraft as a gift to King Abdul Aziz in 1945.
Today, Saudia has over one hundred and eighteen aircrafts.
![9 Interesting Facts About The Kingdom’s Flag Carrier - Saudia 4 Photo Credit: en.wikipedia.org](http://destinationksa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Trans_World_Airlines_Lockheed_L-1011-385-1-15_TriStar_100_Marmet.jpg)
2. Its operations were originally run by American carrier Trans World Airlines.
![9 Interesting Facts About The Kingdom’s Flag Carrier - Saudia 5 Photo Credit: flyingway.com](http://destinationksa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/1455787669351.jpg)
3. The national flag carrier’s main base was the Jeddah Kandara Airport. The airport is now defunct and has seen hordes of malls and residential localities spring up on the site.
![9 Interesting Facts About The Kingdom’s Flag Carrier - Saudia 6 Photo Credit: Bizzie Frost](http://destinationksa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/bizzie-frost.jpg)
4. In the 70s, Saudia developed Saudia City. A housing complex for its employees sprawling an area of 1.5 million square meters. At that time, it was the largest housing complex ever built by any airlines for its staff.
![9 Interesting Facts About The Kingdom’s Flag Carrier - Saudia 7 Photo Credit: arabiansupplychain.com](http://destinationksa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Saudia_Alfursan.jpg)
5. If you accumulate 40,000 miles under the Al Fursan frequent flyer program, you will be entitled to a return ticket to Europe.Or if you accumulate 25,000 miles, then you will be entitled to a return ticket to anywhere in the Middle East. So check your frequent flyer miles now.
![9 Interesting Facts About The Kingdom’s Flag Carrier - Saudia 8 Photo Credit: Chistian Jilg](http://destinationksa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Chistian-Jilg.jpg)
6. Saudia even runs charter flights.
The aircraft used for the charter flights is the Dassault Falcon 7X.
![9 Interesting Facts About The Kingdom’s Flag Carrier - Saudia 9 Photo Credit: arabiansupplychain.com](http://destinationksa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Saudi_Nigeria.jpg)
7. The Saudi Air Cargo Building at the King Khaled Airport in Riyadh has the capacity to handle over 140,000 metric tons a year; making it one of the largest of its kind in the Middle East.
8. The Jeddah unit of Saudi Airlines Catering on a single day produced 102,500 meals. The feat was achieved on September 2015, when meals were served on 299 flights.
![9 Interesting Facts About The Kingdom’s Flag Carrier - Saudia 11 Photo Credit: travel.salaamgateway.com](http://destinationksa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/201604250559269232.jpg)
9. Earlier this year, Saudia announced plans to launch a new low-cost airlines.The operations will commence in 2017 and the subsidiary will be called Flyadeal.